Mazda is the latest brand to find itself in the middle of a fight over subscription features on cars after quietly removing remote start functionality from key fobs in 2021. Since then, remote start has been controlled through its Mazda Connected Services smartphone app, which was available to new owners via a three-year free trial. But as that free trial is ending for the earliest adopters following the switch, there’s been a growing uproar among Mazda owners who are discovering a core function will now cost them $10 per month.
Mazda CX-90 and Mazda3 owners have taken to Reddit, upset that they’ll now be paying for functions that include remote start/stop, remote climate control, and remote vehicle status. Now, it’s key to note that Mazda had given buyers of new vehicles a three-year subscription to Mazda Connected Services. There are even owner accounts saying Mazda extended the trial period beyond three years at no extra charge. But some owners have been notified of their trials suddenly ending soon, much to their dismay.
We reached out to Mazda for comment and a spokesperson replied, “Since Mazda Connected Services launched in 2019, we have advertised to customers that they receive a complimentary three-year trial of Mazda Connected Services, after which time a payment would be required to continue use of the Connected Services. For customers who have exceeded this three-year trial period, we have continued to extend the complimentary trial period with the notification that the free trial would transition to a paid subscription service at a future date.”
They continued to say the paid subscription will launch in “about two months,” adding that existing three-year trials won’t be shortened. Also, going forward, customers who purchase a 2025 CX-70 will still get a three-year trial but buyers of all other 2025 Mazdas will receive a one-year complimentary trial.
On the face of it, that sounds like Mazda was being generous and has simply reached a point where it’s no longer viable to extend these subscriptions past the agreed-upon time period of three years. But when you consider that it quietly removed the feature from key fobs and stopped selling dedicated hardware for new models so it could be a permanent feature, then the carmaker’s generosity is called into question. More than anything, this is a brutal reminder that anytime a feature migrates onto a phone app, it’s much more easily and likely to be turned into a subscription.
Connected Services Free Extension (US)
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These subscriptions are nothing new. Mazda is just the latest to join the club as carmakers vacillate between putting features behind paywalls and subscription models. Some buyers are more resistant to these, leading to automakers leaving certain features alone—like BMW does now with heated seats after major owner backlash.
It looks like Mazda is testing the tolerance of its buyers towards subscriptions, but many are unhappy with the move and are expressing their plans to not buy Mazdas again on forums.
Updated at 1:55 p.m. ET on 08/06/2024: This story now includes Mazda’s official statement and clarifying details.
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