The Enshitification of Automotive
SaaS and subscriptions are becoming a thing for cars. It SUCKS.
Various manufacturers, starting famously with BMW, have tried or are planning to try subscription-based services for vehicle owners. These include a monthly or annual fee for things like heated seats, navigation system access, and even things like remote starting. It’s ridiculous nickel and diming. Now, apparently, Ford and Toyota are getting in on this and I’m sure others will follow as the dollar signs become apparent despite the bad PR Bimmer received for doing this.
These subscriptions usually start by roping the buyer in by offering whatever the service(s) are free of charge for the first few months of ownership. The dealership, however, has either lumped in the monthlies to one’s loan or starts billing credit cards or sending an invoice once that time is up. Most of the services being billed for are things that are built into the vehicle already.
Some things in vehicles, like mobile wi-fi connections, are expected subscriptions. It costs overhead to maintain a 5G connection, of course. We pay for our cell phones to connect, so it makes sense we’d pay for our car to connect too. Assuming we want that. I personally don’t bother with in-car wi-fi, but I’m sure there are people who deem it necessary.
What I don’t get, though, are subscription fees for things that are built into and absolutely a part of a vehicle. Heated seats, remote starting, and the like are all things that are already hardwired into the car. Why the #@!* would someone be expected to pay for that as a monthly fee? Add it to the initial invoice as part of the car’s hardware and call it done. I don’t want to load an app to remote start my vehicle. Just put it on the damn keyfob.
The way this is going, we’re going to start seeing everything become a subscription. It’s already happening with music, movies, software, and the like. It’s just a matter of time before the rest of our lives are also just based on monthly payments whittling away at our bank accounts. Including cars.