Hyundai Plans To Present Paid Features On Its Latest Vehicles In Europe

Hyundai is considering presenting paid features to a number of its vehicle ranks such as activating a based seat. This is done as a manufacturer's step to stay connected to customers in post-sales.

"We see a feature-on-demand as an option, to add more personalization to the car," said Head of Hyundai Connected Mobility Marcus Welz, quoted by Autocar, Wednesday, May 8.

The company also announced that the new European-based division will unify its car subscription business (Mocean) and connected service under the same company's roof.

This division focuses on future mobility, from current car ownership to switching to subscriptions and will restructure Bluelink.

Like the others, the Bluelink app allows Hyundai car owners to remotely control a number of features such as pre-coupling, vehicle lockdowns, and satellite navigation.

The system is available on a number of new models that have a 10.25-inch infotainment screen and offers three levels, namely Lite for free for the first 10 years providing the use of maps, online services, etc., Paid Plus 2.99 euros or around Rp. 51,676 which can access all long-distance services), and Pro for 9.99 euros or equivalent to Rp. 172,657 providing advanced data-based services such as in-car payments, including offers from specific partners.

This move is part of Hyundai's push to get closer to post-sale customers. As part of this, feature integration as requested is one of the next steps. However, the company is not sure if this will affect the car already on the highway.

This paid service is nothing new in the automotive industry. Previously, BMW had limited a number of features, both hardware and software, paid for. However, this has actually received a lot of criticism.