[m463]

Not that I don't think the trend is terrible, but isn't rent-seeking when you charge extra for something but make no discernible improvements?

[sneak]

The cars in TFA ship with the hardware to do things like lane assist and heated steering wheels. The functionality is already there. They are charging subscription fees to flip an enable bit in software.

Correspondingly, they remotely disable functionality in your vehicle if you stop paying them.

I'm not sure of a better example of rent seeking.

[usefulcat]

Presumably if it’s not being used then it also doesn’t have to ever be fixed (either by the owner or the manufacturer).