Comment by tzs

At least with software features that require a subscription to work you don't pay any penalty if you don't subscribe, assuming the software is running on hardware that would be there anyway for non-subscription purposes.

With a feature like this which involved hardware that is useless to non-subscribers those non-subscribers are paying a penalty of the extra energy their car uses to haul around the extra hardware.

As a matter of principle, I'd be fine with making it illegal to include such features on new cars. Any hardware you include in the car has to be functional without a subscription.

They could still sell a subscription seat warmer. They just could not include the hardware with the car. They would have to wait for the customer to actually order the subscription and then install the hardware.