“very software I work on ships fully capable and whether you get feature set X or Y depends on how much money you give us and the license key we generate”
Yeah, I have seen that even in the avionics sector. Pay a bit more and we will give you a SW key that unlocks extra features.
In the long run it’s a better model. Fewer deliverables, less needed testing, faster and easier upgrades. It’s much easier for everybody. It’s just the first time this has hit the automotive market, so it’s got people confused. It’ll be interesting to see how far this goes. I wonder if someday we’ll see the low end version of cars actually having all the hardware (instead of those hole covers) and just not enabling them, and then you can “upgrade” your car with a quick call to the manufacturer.