As more internet-enabled cars are manufactured today and they move away from being mechanical devices to electric ones, the way one interacts with the car is also changing. Apart from providing entertainment to the passengers in the car,on the dashboard of the car is also a way to communicate with it and get details such as the state of charge of the battery or an issue with an engine.
Currently, many car manufacturers provide this information through a series of apps that come bundled with the car when you buy it. However, carmakers are keen on selling you add-on services through these apps that could generate monthly revenues for them, even long after they have sold the car. According to the Business Insider report, carmakers such as Toyota, Subaru, and Lexus already charge car owners to lock their cars remotely through a proprietary app. BMW, on the other hand, offers an add-on of automatic high-beam headlights that dim when a vehicle approaches from the opposite direction and goes back to high beam without any intervention from the driver.
General Motors and Ford offer features such as hands-free driving for those car owners who choose to subscribe. Each of the two companies along with Stellantis , aim to generate revenues of $20 billion every year from these services before this decade ends. However, the route to the moolah is still far away. , a consumer insights and data analytics company, found that 58 percent of car owners who are currently using apps from carmakers are unwilling to pay a subscription fee for them.
The survey recommends that car makers dedicate resources to further developing their apps and increasing the number of users who use them if they are hopeful of generating revenue through them. Stay ahead with the latest science, technology and innovation news, for free:
No thanks. Cars are expensive enough.
No
No.
No.
We're going about this all the wrong way: Yeah I'd totally pay that much, more even. So please spend all your time, energy, and focus developing those useful apps and whatever you do don't pay attention to me, driving around like a pleb with no add-ons.
No
nope
In some countries is illegal to run car engine remotely.
No... Next question?