I'm struck by how oblivious the European manufacturers are, that they would pull such a user-hostile move. Autos are such a big part of the political machine in Europe they probably think they are immune from the winds of change.
But with the collapse of US/EU relations and the subsequent cozying up to China, it's not impossible that the Chinese demand access to the EU markets in exchange for assistance. Good luck selling that pricey BMW or Audi when BYD and Xiaomi cars are better value all around. It'll be like when the Datsuns first arrived in the US: derided until suddenly they were to be feared, and by then it was too late.
If I was the leader of the auto union in Germany, I´d be terrified that my company leadership was shooting itself in the foot just as the opposition were on my doorstep.
Missed opportunity in title to make it "..Even After Heated Heated Seat Debacle.." and it would have grammatically been correct. Oh well!