Volvo will not be charging a subscription fee for additional options
This year, BMW drove itself into a precarious public relations situation when it began charging car owners fees every month to heat their seats. Volvo Car will not be taking any similar approaches.
According to the Swedish carmaker, there is no extra cost for heated seats if your vehicle purchase includes this feature. When you buy a car with certain options pre-installed, they will be available right away.
"If you are to charge for software updates, it must be a step change in consumer benefit," Volvo's Chief Operating Officer Björn Annwall said in an interview this month. "We will not ask people who have bought a car for 1 million kronor ($96,500) to pay another 10 kronor to get extra heat in the seat."
Despite this, BMW has gained other dedicated followers. Mercedes-Benz recently began asking customers to pay an annual fee of $1,200 in order to access more rapid acceleration with their EQ electric vehicles.
