BMW

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BMW

Basic information
Founded	27 October 1913
Legal structure	Public
Industry	Automobiles
Official website	https://www.bmw.com

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (usually abbreviated BMW, sometimes anglicized as Bavarian Motor Works) is a German car company.

Consumer impact summary

BMW has come under fire for requiring subscription charges to access hardware features already built into its vehicles. This requires consumers to pay extra to enable features they possess in a technical capacity.

Incidents

BMW's high beam assistant (2019)

Main article: BMW's high beam assistant(HBA)

Since 2019, BMW includes the hardware for its auto-dimming headlights in its vehicles, but requires customers to pay a subscription fee, or an exorbitant one-time fee, to activate the function.

BMW's heated seat subscription (2022)

Main article: BMW's heated seat subscription

Since 2022, BMW includes the hardware for its heated seats in its vehicles, but requires customer to pay a subscription fee to activate the function. Heated steering wheels, dash cams, and remote start functions are also a subscription. Due to heavy criticism, BMW has decided to drop the heated seats subscription, making them available for everyone.

BMW feature lockout scandal (2023)

Main article: BMW feature lockout scandal

Since 2023, BMW includes the hardware for its M adaptive suspension in many vehicles, while requiring customers to pay extra to activate the software that enables the feature.