I have no idea what you’re talking about: activating heated seats at a later time. Maybe now everything is software driven but when I was a tech
@Ford the vehicle either had such an option assembly line installed or not. I’ve installed PS on one Maverick once & we did A/C in the dealer on Mazdas but nothing was of course monthly charged for. I know today’s vehicles have black boxes so maybe you are getting monitored on accessories
It's a move by certain automakers to turn features into subscriptions or optional purchases. In a nutshell:
The car is built with all the hardware capabilities already in place.
The onboard computer limits certain features. Focus groups are being asked about things like increased HP, extra drive modes, increased stereo sound quality, etc.
When you buy the car, you can pay to turn on that feature. A motor that is capable of 300hp is detuned/regulated to 250hp unless you pay for the 50hp upgrade package. The stereo purposefully reduces the fidelity of the sound quality if you don't pay for the premium audio package. Etc.
You can activate the feature at any time. You get tired of 250hp, you send some $ to the mothership and they tell your car to unlock the other 50hp.
Activation is done either via a one time payment (now the 50hp is there for you to keep for as long as you own the car) or a month-to-month fee. You can then turn it back off whenever you like.
Features bought at the time of purchase or via one time payment, currently, will likely stay active for the next owner if you sell the car. Subscriptions end, of course. If the subscription model catches on, expect companies to experiment with features staying with the owner instead of the car as a way to enforce brand loyalty and encourage new car purchases. You already have the premium audio package, we'll include that in your next car for you and turn it off in your old car...