Vehicle makers who charge annual subscriptions for CarPlay: Bad PR?

“BMW made a controversial move last year, implementing an annual CarPlay subscription,” Ben Lovejoy reports for 9to5Mac. “Instead of a one-off option payment of $300, it made CarPlay a free option in the first year, but then charged $80/year to keep it active.”
“It’s now reported that a second car manufacturer may be following BMW’s example,” Lovejoy reports. “Motor1 this week suggested that Toyota might opt for the same approach with the new Supra.”
Lovejoy reports, “Given the overall running cost of a new car, it seems unlikely that many would let a small annual subscription for CarPlay influence their choice of brand, but that kind of nickel-and-diming does seem to have the potential to damage a car company’s brand image.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s certainly a nickel-and-diming approach, but it would hardly dissuade the vast majority BMW owners from buying their next BMW. Whether BMW charging for something that should be free puts off prospective first-time BMW buyers is another story.
Note also, that BMW does not even offer Android Auto likely because they know they couldn’t charge extra for it as the the types who settle for Android wouldn’t pay for it (nor are they buying BMWs). No sense offering that which would never be used.

SEE ALSO:
Apple CarPlay: How it works, the apps, the vehicles and the features – March 15, 2018
BMW charging annually for Apple’s CarPlay is why Apple should build CarPlay into iOS 12 – January 22, 2018
Vehicle makers add Apple CarPlay support – January 16, 2018
Toyota is finally adding Apple CarPlay – January 16, 2018
Wireless Apple CarPlay finally goes on sale – July 5, 2017
CarPlay: The best incarnation of Apple’s ecosystem – October 12, 2016