Toyota explains its services and remote start strategy. The functionality will no longer be available on electronic keys.
The automotive world is constantly changing. Which makes perfect sense as customer habits and technologies change. Today, it is more and more a question of subscription.
And manufacturers do not hesitate to offer subscriptions for their vehicles, unlocking a certain number of more or less useful features for a fee. Toyota got down to it, not without causing controversy.
Toyota explains its service strategy and remote start
Current Toyota car owners are certainly not happy with having to pay a subscription to start their vehicle remotely from their electronic key, but what about future owners?
The news is mixed. Indeed, the brand told Roadshow in a statement that remote start would not be available on the electronic keys of new vehicles. This will require the use of the brand’s dedicated mobile application. That being said, this feature will be free.
You might in fact never have to pay for this feature. It was previously mentioned that the brand’s vehicles from 2018 to 2020 would only benefit from a free 3-year trial of Connected Services, some 2020 models and future models will be delivered with a period of 10 year free trial. In other words, there’s a good chance you changed your car before this free trial period ran out.
The functionality will no longer be available on electronic keys
Still, this decision will certainly not please those who like the ease of use of the key or car owners who intend to keep their vehicle for many years. It would then be necessary to pay for this subscription simply to be able to take advantage of a feature to which the car was entitled for a large part of its life.
And we shouldn’t expect Toyota to back down on the subject. Indeed, like many other manufacturers, Toyota relies on services to generate stable additional revenues, something that is more difficult to achieve with vehicle sales alone. Remote start is certainly not going to be a big cash flow as it will cost “only” $ 80 per year, and only 10 years from now, but it is clearly a clue to Toyota’s strategy for the years. future.