Cars have just about completely morphed into computers on wheels (slight exaggeration).
Many gizmos are simply software configuration with limited costs attached to the hardware. And the hardware will increasingly be designed for easy owner installation, and/or a dealer profit opportunity.
So it is not surprising they are taking lessons from the IT, media and gaming industries.
Microsoft Office once came as a one off cost. Software updates were provided FoC. New releases typically backwards compatible. Only became unsupported after a decade or more.
They now sell licences having realised that most users never upgraded as they only ever used (say) 25% of software capability. One off income was not good for revenue growth!
Increasingly plausible that car manufacturers will sell a package with only essential legal, safety and basic functionality enabled. They will then sell a series of licence packages charged monthly, annually, or for other fixed period - you may:
- get a basic sat nav but pay extra for updates and real time traffic
- get basic aircon but have to upgrade for full climate control
- need to pay extra for an onboard vehicle configuration package
- need to pay extra for DAB, auto headlamps, auto wipers
- etc etc
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BMW - BMW feature rental new
BMW - BMW feature rental new
