Toyota also started cutting leeks? Remote launch feature costs: $8/month

As technology continues to advance, cars are getting smarter, and some automakers are seeing new business opportunities. Just like Tesla, it no longer only relies on selling cars to make money, but also on selling software.

According to foreign media reports, as an established car manufacturer, Toyota has also begun to charge for some remote connect functions in vehicles to facilitate owners to remotely start their cars using remote control keys.

Nowadays, many vehicles are equipped with a remote start function, which is very friendly for people in some cold areas. As a veteran car manufacturer, car owners can also choose some configurations when buying Toyota vehicles, including remote start function.

In addition, Toyota also produced after 2018, vehicles equipped with Audio Plus or Premium Audio are equipped with remote start functions as standard. However, the remote start function of these vehicles is not completely free, but needs to be purchased for a fee.

Specifically, owners equipped with Audio Plus can use remote key for free for three years to start remotely, while cars equipped with Premium Audio can be free for ten years.

After this, the owner will have to pay 8 US dollars (about 51 yuan) / month, of course, you can also choose the relatively cost-effective price of 80 US dollars (about 510 yuan) / year to buy a complete remote connection service.

Now, with three years on and with the end of the free subscription to remote launch, some Audio Plus owners are finding that they can no longer use the remote key to start the vehicle remotely. It also means that if you want technology to use the feature, you have to pay for it.

However, Toyota cars manufactured before November 12, 2018 can still be used for free without paying. However, it is worth mentioning that the cars produced before this day are equipped with 3G chips, which also means that if the 3G network is eliminated, then these vehicles will still not be able to use the function.