Signature-heated BMW ignites debate over who controls your car

Just start typing “BMW South Korea” in the Google search engine and the “heated seats” add-on will appear. The reason is the unusual plan made by the automaker in South Korea: anyone who wants seats that stay warm can hire a subscription program for this option.

However, it is not necessary to go to the dealership to install the equipment. The system is already installed in the car, but it is necessary to remotely unlock its function. The activation is done through the ConnectedDrive Store, the brand’s virtual store. It costs approximately R$100 per month.

Although restricted to a specific market, the idea has generated discussions about the ethical limits of service monetization and about how much cars are subject to external interference.

“Charging to use as a service what has already been paid for as a product, in the case of options, can bring great dissatisfaction to consumers. I also see that attitudes like this can open a new market, which will be the pirated unlocking of these features”, says Guilherme Petersen, CEO of Ticto, a digital business platform.

Petersen says that a model that tends to work well is the subscription to services, such as car rental or loyalty to maintenance programs, “which are still a form of recurring revenue for automakers.”

According to BMW’s communication director, there is no plan to charge for activating the heating system of the seats of its cars in Brazil.

“We offer maximum flexibility and peace of mind to our customers when choosing and using optional equipment on their BMW, whether new or used”, says the statement sent by the automaker.

For Pablo Lima, responsible for the Marketing area at ISG (technology and innovation holding), automakers are experiencing a moment of adaptation of the traditional business model to a new way of relating to the consumer.

“All innovation goes through questions and ethical dilemmas, it is society adapting to new contexts”, says Lima. “On the other hand, with the offer of subscription services, new concerns will arise, such as the privacy and integrity of personal data.”

Wally Niz, Director of Navita, a technology company whose focus is on reducing IT costs, explains that releasing features according to customer needs is common in the software world.

“This is known in marketing as ‘upsell’, where you sell the basic product and then the company releases new features. This is now going to the physical world, and it sounds very interesting. “

Gustavo Carriconde, CEO of startup accelerator Gutenberg Ventures, recalls that monthly payments for optional items in automobiles are not new, but they are now occupying a central position in the business. There are, however, questionable points.

“Having to pay for what has always been free can make you feel like you’re being cheated. And would it be ethical, for example, to charge for a braking system that can save the lives of distracted pedestrians?” says Carriconde.

“Whoever buys a car owns everything in it, and an ethical use of [ativação de equipamentos] it could be in the case that a second or third owner might acquire something that the first did not want to buy.”

The CEO of Gutenberg Ventures also says that the arrival of new manufacturers, such as Tesla, has led to the loss of share of older brands, which forces the search for solutions that improve profitability. But not even Elon Musk’s company escapes the questions generated by connectivity.

A year ago, the American electric car maker made a deal with owners of the Model S sedan. Consumers claimed to have lost autonomy after an update to the car’s software.

Tesla admitted the problem and paid the equivalent of BRL 3,300 to each of the 1,700 customers who felt wronged. Their cars are permanently connected to the internet, making it possible to automatically update their systems.

Remote access has already brought problems to drivers in Brazil. In January, the Hyundai Creta owned by businesswoman Louise Moura Cruz stopped working on the PE-016 highway in Recife. The car belongs to the rental company Movida, which would have turned off the engine remotely while the vehicle was in motion.

The reason would be the delay in the monthly subscription plan for the car. The businesswoman explained that the problem occurred due to the failure to process payments. She claimed to have received billing messages for bills that had already been paid off.

In a note released at the time of the problem, Movida said that it immediately sent the case to the service provider responsible for monitoring.

“The blocking system is not activated, under any circumstances, with the car in motion. The company remains available to settle the debts by the customer, as informed in all contacts that have been made previously.”

Louise continued to be a Movida client and told the report that the problem did not recur.