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The rise of subscription services in the automotive industry has ignited a firestorm of frustration among drivers. What began as a clever revenue experiment has evolved into a trend that many see as a blatant cash grab.

Automakers are now charging monthly fees for features that used to be included in the purchase price, and self-driving technology is quickly becoming the latest battleground. BMW’s failed attempt to monetize heated seats serves as a cautionary tale, yet companies like Ford are forging ahead with subscription-based models, leaving customers increasingly disillusioned.

Some Ford owners have even went to the r/MachE to vent their frustration – 

“I assume the people in charge of the model read this at Ford. Blue Cruise is very nice. But for me, it's not $50 a month nice. And it's not a matter of how well it works - if it worked flawlessly it's still not worth $50 a month to occasionally use it.”

BMW Started It All

BMW’s 2021 proposal to charge $18 per month for heated seats was met with near-universal outrage. Owners balked at the idea of paying for hardware already installed in their vehicles, viewing the move as double-dipping. The backlash was swift, and by 2023, BMW had quietly abandoned the plan. While the automaker had hoped to generate recurring revenue, it instead alienated customers, underscoring the dangers of pushing subscription models too far. Ford, however, seems undeterred, introducing BlueCruise, its hands-free highway driving system, at $50 per month. The response has been equally harsh.

Is Hands-Free Driving Worth It? 

• Hands-Free Driving: BlueCruise enables hands-free driving on prequalified sections of divided highways, known as "Blue Zones." The system utilizes a driver-facing camera to monitor attention, allowing drivers to remove their hands from the wheel while keeping their eyes on the road. 
• The latest BlueCruise 1.5 update introduces Automatic Lane Change, which allows the vehicle to smoothly and seamlessly initiate hands-free lane changes to pass slower-moving traffic. This enhancement builds upon previous features like Lane Change Assist and In-Lane Repositioning, providing a more intuitive driving experience. 
• Ford has consistently updated BlueCruise to enhance its performance. For instance, the BlueCruise 1.4 update improved in-lane stability and allowed for longer hands-free engagement, even in challenging conditions like tight curves and inclement weather. These updates are often delivered over-the-air, ensuring vehicles remain up-to-date with the latest advancements.

BlueCruise, to its credit, is a well-engineered system for hands-free driving on mapped highways. It offers smoother, less stressful long-distance travel.

However, many customers find the pricing impossible to justify. As one Ford owner put it, 

“I use BlueCruise available highways all the time and there’s no way I’d spend $50 a month on it. I’m not sure I’d pay any amount of money over $5. I know it’s becoming the norm but paying tens of thousands for a car and still having features locked is insulting.” 

This sentiment is echoed by many drivers who feel the subscription model is fundamentally unfair.

Is BlueCruise Worth It?

Adding to the frustration is the system’s inconsistent performance. BlueCruise, like many semi-autonomous systems, struggles in certain conditions, particularly snow, rain, or fog. One Ford owner in the Midwest described how weather renders the feature useless, 

“I have had to keep lane centering and blue cruise off for the past few weeks because there is too much snow on the roads and it behaves poorly. I would be pissed if I was paying for a service that couldn't handle weather 6 mos of the year up here.”

For drivers who live in regions with challenging climates, paying $50 a month for a feature that doesn’t function year-round feels like a slap in the face.

Ford Isn’t Alone

Ford is far from alone in this misstep. Automakers across the board are testing the limits of what customers are willing to pay for. Toyota faced significant criticism for attempting to charge a subscription fee for remote start functionality, despite the feature being embedded in key fobs. General Motors offers OnStar packages costing as much as $1,500 annually for services that smartphones can often replicate for free. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software, priced at $12,000 upfront or $199 per month, has also drawn ire for its incomplete functionality. These examples suggest a troubling trend: automakers are attempting to turn cars into software platforms, prioritizing recurring revenue streams over customer satisfaction.

The timing of this push couldn’t be worse. With vehicle prices at record highs, the average new car price in the U.S. hit $48,000 in 2023, customers are already paying more than ever before. Yet instead of improving the ownership experience, automakers are layering on additional costs. A recent JD Power survey found that 75% of drivers reject subscription models for features already installed in their vehicles. The message is clear, customers expect to own their cars outright, including all features and capabilities. The growing resentment over subscriptions threatens to alienate the very consumers automakers depend on.

The Solution

The solution to this growing backlash is simple but critical. Automakers need to rethink their approach and abandon the notion that every feature should generate monthly revenue. Companies like Rivian and Porsche offer better examples of how to manage optional features. Rivian includes its Driver+ system as a standard feature, and Porsche abandoned its failed CarPlay subscription in favor of a one-time purchase model. These strategies respect the idea of ownership and avoid alienating customers with unnecessary fees. Ford’s BlueCruise pricing model is rapidly becoming a case study in how not to approach the subscription trend. 

While the technology itself shows promise, the decision to charge $50 per month has overshadowed its benefits. BMW learned the hard way that subscription models can backfire, and Ford risks making the same mistake. If automakers want customers to embrace self-driving technology, they need to stop treating drivers like endless revenue streams. The road to autonomous driving may be inevitable, but it must be paved with trust, not greed.

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.