My partner replaced her 11 year BMW 5 GT with a new X4 last month. The nav is slow (probably updates the view twice a second) and out of date. I think it needs new roads updating via a USB stick.
The Android Auto and Carplay integration are fantastic though - silky smooth (better than the phone they're coming from) and always up to date.
This makes sense. Navigation maps cost $$$ to maintain. Subaru has been charging for built-in navigation for years (it comes free for 3 years with most purchases) with the expectation that most people won't renew when the free period expires. The navigation is very good as whatever service they use is able to account for construction and other map changes significantly faster than Google does. But the UI is really slow.
The alternative is to use CarPlay/Android Auto and the navigation app of your choice for free. (Until like Toyota Ford starts requiring a subscription to use CP or AA. They had planned to do this several years ago but decided not to after backlash.)
Cars add all this software and soft-button shit and then angle to lock it all behind subscriptions anyway.
What's the point when you can just use a phone anyway? Just rip it all out, save a packet on software development and partner with Brodit to add a nice stock phone holder for an extra 5 euros in wholesale BOM costs.
Y'all are missing the point. Yes, the OEM nav is crap. Yes any normal person would just use Carplay or whatever. This is targeted at fleet customers for whom letting employees use carplay/phone nav is a non-starter because it causes too much hand wringing among management, insurers, etc, etc. due to some no-phone policy (as if literally every gig driver isn't using phone nav).
I’ve always wondered why manufacturers don’t just bump the sticker up by whatever the estimated LTV of these subscriptions would be. If you want to buy a new F-150, there’s functionally no difference between paying e.g. $52,500 instead of $51,250 and as a bonus Ford gets to avoid headlines like this.
Maybe the long-term goal is to push more people toward direct leasing?
I have mixed feelings about subscriptions - in some cases, they can actually be good for customers (mainly power users, whose usage is subsidized by other subscribers).
I have 4000 songs on my Spotify. That would be $4k on iTunes. With Spotify being $11/month, it would take me 30 years of Spotify usage to break even with the iTunes model if I never bought another song. For every additional song I listen to, that subscription becomes worth even more.
With cars, I hope 1) customers have the option to pay up front 2) it allows for cheaper production with assembly efficiencies 3) it lets people granularly pick which options are on their car, as opposed to being stuck with whatever options come with a given trim package 4) there are always non-subscription cars around to keep manufacturers from rent-seeking behavior.
I haven’t bought a car in a long time, so I don’t know if any of those are true.
An important thing to note when buying a car that includes subscription services is exactly what those subscriptions are for.
For example if the maps, traffic info, alerts, etc depend on a subscription there are couple ways it can go.
1. The subscription is actually for that data and the alert services. The car's systems only accepts those sources and so if you do not subscribe when the trial ends those stop working.
2. The data and services can be accessed on the internet for no cost (you made need a free account with the car maker's site). The subscription is for cellular internet service for the car.
In case #2 it might be that the car is only capable of using that cellular connection for internet access and so you will need to subscribe if you want things to keep working.
Some cars however can use a WiFi connection instead of their cellular connection for internet access. If your phone includes a WiFi hotspot you may be able to set the car to use that and then maps, traffic, and alerts might keep working without needing a subscription.
Also many cars will let you update data by downloading it on your computer and putting it on a USB drive and then uploading to the car from the US drive. You won't get traffic info and alerts that way, but at least you can keep maps from becoming obsolete.
Having recently bought a new car after last buying a car at the end of 2005, dealing with subscriptions was by far the most annoying change since the last time. Just getting information on what depending on subscriptions and what my options were if I didn't keep the subscription was a pain for nearly every car.
I see why Fords ceo does not like Apple CarPlay Ultra. You can control everything from your phone or a tablet.
“CarPlay Ultra is Apple's advanced, next-generation CarPlay system that deeply integrates your iPhone with a vehicle's entire infotainment system, including the driver's instrument cluster. It extends the familiar iOS interface to all the screens in your car, allowing for comprehensive control of vehicle functions like climate, radio, drive modes, and vehicle settings directly from the familiar CarPlay interface.”
Subscription is hugely more profitable than a one time purchase even if the latter equates a multi year long subscription. It provides the company with customer personal information and proof of engagement, it is more easily sold (it's like a purchase with a loan) and other advantages.
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[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 32.1 ms ] threadMy partner replaced her 11 year BMW 5 GT with a new X4 last month. The nav is slow (probably updates the view twice a second) and out of date. I think it needs new roads updating via a USB stick.
The Android Auto and Carplay integration are fantastic though - silky smooth (better than the phone they're coming from) and always up to date.
Who ever uses those built-in things?
I will never buy a vehicle that doesn't support it, nor would I ever buy one that locks it behind a subscription.
If I need to I'll keep older cars alive to avoid the enshittification. Older vehicles are easier to repair and maintain anyway.
Ford stand to make hundreds of dollars a year from this.
The alternative is to use CarPlay/Android Auto and the navigation app of your choice for free. (Until like Toyota Ford starts requiring a subscription to use CP or AA. They had planned to do this several years ago but decided not to after backlash.)
What's the point when you can just use a phone anyway? Just rip it all out, save a packet on software development and partner with Brodit to add a nice stock phone holder for an extra 5 euros in wholesale BOM costs.
Maybe the long-term goal is to push more people toward direct leasing?
Honestly, there's a dozen other reasons I have no intention of owning a Ford.
I have 4000 songs on my Spotify. That would be $4k on iTunes. With Spotify being $11/month, it would take me 30 years of Spotify usage to break even with the iTunes model if I never bought another song. For every additional song I listen to, that subscription becomes worth even more.
With cars, I hope 1) customers have the option to pay up front 2) it allows for cheaper production with assembly efficiencies 3) it lets people granularly pick which options are on their car, as opposed to being stuck with whatever options come with a given trim package 4) there are always non-subscription cars around to keep manufacturers from rent-seeking behavior.
I haven’t bought a car in a long time, so I don’t know if any of those are true.
For example if the maps, traffic info, alerts, etc depend on a subscription there are couple ways it can go.
1. The subscription is actually for that data and the alert services. The car's systems only accepts those sources and so if you do not subscribe when the trial ends those stop working.
2. The data and services can be accessed on the internet for no cost (you made need a free account with the car maker's site). The subscription is for cellular internet service for the car.
In case #2 it might be that the car is only capable of using that cellular connection for internet access and so you will need to subscribe if you want things to keep working.
Some cars however can use a WiFi connection instead of their cellular connection for internet access. If your phone includes a WiFi hotspot you may be able to set the car to use that and then maps, traffic, and alerts might keep working without needing a subscription.
Also many cars will let you update data by downloading it on your computer and putting it on a USB drive and then uploading to the car from the US drive. You won't get traffic info and alerts that way, but at least you can keep maps from becoming obsolete.
Having recently bought a new car after last buying a car at the end of 2005, dealing with subscriptions was by far the most annoying change since the last time. Just getting information on what depending on subscriptions and what my options were if I didn't keep the subscription was a pain for nearly every car.
“CarPlay Ultra is Apple's advanced, next-generation CarPlay system that deeply integrates your iPhone with a vehicle's entire infotainment system, including the driver's instrument cluster. It extends the familiar iOS interface to all the screens in your car, allowing for comprehensive control of vehicle functions like climate, radio, drive modes, and vehicle settings directly from the familiar CarPlay interface.”