So, you're about to pull the trigger on a new BMW X5 (an SUV that starts at about $59,000, but easily exceeds $76,000 if you opt for the less expensive top-of-the-line xDrive50i model) and decide you want heated seats Currently, heated seats as an option add $600 to the BMW's price Soon, however, you will be subscribing to heated seats for months or years to come

Yes, by deafening demand, the game's most controversial feature, microtransactions, are coming to cars BMW unveiled its future plans for its connected car platform at a digital presentation on July 1

All of the car's features will be combined through software and data connectivity, with 360-degree parking cameras, night vision, remote start, and more at your disposal BMW has yet to say how much the features in question will cost and how long the subscription will last, No specifics have been revealed, but forgive us if we're not necessarily thrilled with this proposal

In her presentation, Melina Aulinger of BMW explained how the scheme would work in the context of a hypothetical customer buying a used BMW and finding the 5 Series they were looking for, except for the fact that it lacked heated seats After purchasing the car used, this buyer could activate and pay for the heated seats through the car's infotainment system Looks like we have another happy customer

In streamlining this in-app-based approach to car ownership, BMW extolled the virtues of personalization and instant access to desired features The company claims it is a great way for buyers to try out features they may or may not be sure they want Interestingly, however, vague pricing details were not shared, and the presentation did not discuss a subscription model that would make these features more economically accessible to owners

The flaws in BMW's logic are, of course, not difficult to parse precisely After all, BMW is the company that floated the idea of paying $80 per year to use Apple's CarPlay in its cars BMW, after all, has been involved in this shameless free-for-all, but it will take a lot more than a few years to convince Munich to back down It took a worldwide uproar from all corners of the auto enthusiast community to convince Munich to back down

In fact, all of this optional equipment is included in every vehicle that leaves the factory; BMW spends money to add it, and then that cost is passed on to you when you buy your car, whether you subscribe to that feature or not

And it is also wasteful The very same company that manufactures the BMW i3, which incorporates recycled plastics and sustainably sourced fabrics into its interior, touted as a "cost-saving innovation," will be using an array of resources and components that are not explicitly requested by customers and may never be used It is a little amusing to think that they will be manufacturing the majority of their own products

At CES in January, I met with Faurecia, a French automotive supplier that makes parts used by many automakers A spokesperson praised the company's vision for in-car interiors with subscription-based features and said that many of the implementations demonstrated there would begin to hit the market this year; one wonders how OEMs and car companies are responding to the public and critics

It has been both fascinating and frustrating to observe how being a customer of any service or product in any medium has changed over the past two decades In many areas of life, ownership has given way to licensing And while one might be able to argue for that philosophy when it comes to software and digital services that change over time and are not limited in supply, it is difficult to understand the logic when we are talking about finite goods like a heater in a car seat

If economies of scale work and BMW can put these optional features in every car very cheaply per car, and the cost to the buyer who does not use them is negligibly small, then perhaps the case could be made But if it can't - and there is nothing to suggest that the connected, subscription-laden BMW of the future will be any kinder to the wallet than the BMW of today - then it is just another thing that the digital revolution has taken from us, with no benefit to anyone but shareholders It will be nothing more than