This AM got a 10 page online questionnaire from Toyota about what features I'd be interested in and which I'd be willing to pay $10-$25 a month for. Included were ride sharing, would I be interested in fuel cell, hybrid, electric, etc. Most of the features were ones Tesla already has at no charge. They didn't ask me how old I was, what I made or when I would buy my next car.
I don't know why they bother. They're not going to just ignore the potential for revenue just because people say they don't want to pay. Did telling your boss you don't want to come to work ever have the desired result? Even if Toyota rolled out subscription services and no one paid they will have lost nothing to speak of. If less people buy Toyotas the marketing department will just paper over it was "less demand because the post-Covid buying frenzy satisfied demand for a while," or "inflation fears reduced demand as consumers saved," or "uncertain economic outlook reduced consumer willingness to make large investments." There's a near infinite supply of cow excrement that can be used to cover for failed decisions.
I read the local list - which included NAVIGATION - which nobody else charges for (except maybe map upgrades). Part of the reason why I cancelled my TOYOTA Order.
STAR was a subscription service. They have experience selling subscriptions already. This is likely (my guess) to base their strategy on a self driving feature/option: Self driving is helped/aided by updated GPS maps. Keeping maps updated costs money, and they will either have to sell a subscription service (lowering vehicle MSRP) or have to calculate it into the MSRP. Pretty good move asking for public opinion if you ask me… iPhone ?
When selling to the public, knowing what the public wants (or is willing to pay for) gives a competitive advantage. That is “why they bother”. I agree about Toyota making excuses. However, that tends to fall flat if competing auto companies are selling like gangbusters when your own sales are flat or declining. Some individuals may buy it, but investors, on the whole, tend to be more discerning.
Their previous navs haven't been subscription-based, but the map updates would work out to more than $8 a month if you bought them each year.
The one poster I saw mention that didn't seem impressed by it. BMW is already has heated seats on subscription in some markets, and Toyota was moving remote start to it before public backlash. NJ has a bill to ban subscriptions for features that have the hardware is already in place on the car. Things that would entail ongoing costs get an exception.
wish I could rephrase that question for toyota. "how much can we gouge you monthly for - until you change manufacturers? "
Toyota did some weird things in the early 2010s with electronics to save cost. ScoutGPS was one of them. Luckily they moved onto that Garmin-like Display Audio. I think that was better lol. Toyota also added dealer-installed accessories for bluetooth phone and bluetooth audio for the Corolla/Matrix/Scion tC etc and listed it as a "standard feature" in the brochure. It's different from the cars that had built-in BT and BTA with the Denso units. My friend has a 2011 tC with that dealer-installed BT accessory. He's having issues with connectivity now that it's 10 years old. I never had an issues with my Prius' BT (Denso unit).
I have a ‘14 Scion iQ. It uses a (I think) Pioneer head unit and (this I’m confident about) Harman Kardon add-on navigation/infotainment called “premium/aha”. I was able to download “aha” within the last few months (on Android), it’s a skeleton of streaming channels. (I was honestly glad to see some channels still streaming)! Still wondering if I can get anymore current Nav maps…. iPhone ?
