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TV shows or DVD collections are foreign words these days. Thanks to digital TV, we can buy or rent a movie by itself. And if you haven’t purchased your sports subscription, you can spontaneously book the Champions League final on TV if your favorite team makes it to the finals.
What has long been perfectly normal thanks to pay TV is getting more and more into our cars. Like smartphones, our cars are connected to the Internet so that updates can be done (over the air). So manufacturers can now not only update the multimedia system, but also add new functions. For an additional fee, of course – luxury brands, in particular, have discovered a new source of income with so-called on-demand functions.
Here’s how it works
Car owners no longer have to mourn for an extra when they forget a mark on the sometimes nearly endless list of extras for their new car. You can easily reorder the option via the web store on your computer, the app on your smartphone, or the multimedia system in the car. However, manufacturers offer update extras primarily as part of a subscription. In other words, there are monthly or annual costs – and manufacturers can hide price increases for their models in subscriptions.
There are also benefits to these extras in the subscription for customers. For example, they don’t have to pay a lot of money to order seat heating from the beginning, they can only subscribe during the cool winter months. They do not need a warm place to sit the rest of the year. In summer, if a trip is planned on winding country roads and crossings, a sportier suspension or steering scheme can be activated.
Advantages for Manufacturers
With the extras included in the subscription, manufacturers not only earn additional money, but also reduce production costs. Instead of configuring each car individually with extras according to the customer’s specific requests, they immediately install the technology for all the extras. This simplifies production and reduces purchasing costs for related components because manufacturers can order them in larger quantities. Conversely, this also means that every customer gets a fully equipped car. But he can only use part of it, or he needs to buy a subscription for the corresponding function.
BMW offers these extras
Not surprisingly, these on-demand services aren’t exactly cheap. The “Connected Drive Shop” at BMW offers an online overview of subscription extras and costs. Said seat heating is 29 francs per month. You pay 229 francs for one year, and 339 francs for three years. It can be unlocked indefinitely for 499 CHF. In the case of the BMW X3 (Switzerland’s 2022 best-selling BMW), customers should order seat heating right from the start. Then it would only cost 480 francs.
Steering wheel heating or high beam assist can also be ordered later – one month (15 or 12 CHF), one year (129 or 99 CHF), three years (199 or 159 CHF) or unlimited (269 or 229 CHF ). ). Steering wheel heating and high beam assist in the X3 configurator, which costs 340 and 240 francs, respectively, cost more than a later update. Other items such as adaptive sports suspension (499 Fr.), Apple CarPlay preparation (409 Fr.) or adaptive cruise control (1099 Fr.) can only be unlocked indefinitely. It’s also worth rethinking when it comes to cruise control. In the X3, it costs “only” 820 francs ex-works. Sport suspension and CarPlay are part of the equipment packages, so a direct comparison is not possible.
Porsche subscriptions
Porsche also offers subscription extras, especially for Taycan models. In the Taycan, which costs at least 104,000 francs, the LED matrix light ex works 1,559 francs. Then subscribing to the melodious “Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus” pays 38 francs per month. That gives you 44 months (free for the first three months), or three years and eight months with the Matrix eyeshadow before it costs more to order from scratch. If you do without it during the brighter summer months, you can go cheaper for six to seven winters.
In fact, one of the strengths of Zuffenhausen models is adaptive power steering Plus, which adapts to speed, once at Taycan Connect Store for 399 francs. It will be useful to consider this when ordering. Then the power steering cost only 350 francs. For imported models, Porsche offers the “Porsche Intelligent Range Manager” route optimizer, standard in Switzerland, for 10 CHF per month or a one-off CHF 399.
Extras at Audi and VW
Audi offers more individuality and flexibility. The selection of offerings called “Functions On Demand” varies by model, and there are more options when it comes to the term. The smartphone interface that customers often reserve is available on the Audi Q4 E-Tron for one month (12 CHF/test month 1 CHF), six months (60 CHF), one year (120 CHF), two years (220 CHF). ) Fr.), three years (320 Fr.), or unlimited (600 Fr.). The interface is factory-integrated into the smartphone package, which costs 1,320 francs and also includes a 12-volt plug and two USB-C ports.
But the extras that can be ordered later are certainly not a unique selling point of luxury brands. VW offers it in the Golf 8 and in ID models 3, 4, 5 and Buzz. The choice for golf is more than for electric hopefuls. For example, voice control can be reordered for a one-time fee of 235 francs (260 francs ex-works). Otherwise, VW mainly relies on one-time payments rather than a subscription model. Ambient lighting is available for CHF 51.90 (CHF 190 ex works). If you want a distance cruise control later, you pay 339 francs and the high beam assist is available for 165 francs (180 francs ex works).
Solution
The new digital world offers those who are undecided the opportunity to order a vehicle without paying extra and try it with a subscription instead. As some arithmetic examples show, money can be saved only if you order extra via update later. When configuring a new car, we recommend making a price comparison with the extra subscriptions in the webshop.
Exclusion of such options does not reduce the resale value. Because the next owner can repeatedly book relevant options for the used car. However, it is important that the technical requirements are in place. This does not currently apply to all models or all extras. But over time there should be more options for more models. With the main number you can quickly find out what updates are possible on the manufacturer’s website.
Source: Blick
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
