[AnotherUnixGeek]

BMW (in 2020) wants customers to pay a subscription fee to use features the car already has installed, like a heated steering wheel or adaptive cruise control

If I'm leasing the car, I'd consider such charges to be part of the lease cost. If I buy the car, I'd jail-break the software and over-write the firmware controlling these features so they do whatever I want. I'll do whatever I please to property I own. The maker of the property will not.

[Pontiac]

BMW (in 2020) wants customers to pay a subscription fee to use features the car already has installed, like a heated steering wheel or adaptive cruise control

Tesla did this with their Auto Drive software.

The Auto Drive software is preloaded on all of the cars it is available on and is activated or not at the time of sale if or if not the buyer pays for the option.

I read in an article that if the car is sold the new owner must pay for the software again.

If the new owner gets the car serviced, the dealer deactivates the software at that time.

And for a Tesla a dealer is about the only place you can get it service, other than for tires.