Having conquered the software market – where it gets its own acronym, SaaS (Software as a Service) – the subscription model is now moving into hardware.

Car makers are among the first cabs off the rank, using software to turn on and off optional extras.

German auto maker BMW is offering “in-car microtransactions” to access options for car buyers in Britain, Korea, Germany, New Zealand and South Africa. A heated steering wheel, for example, has a monthly cost of NZ$20 in New Zealand, and £10 in the UK.

Carsales editor-in-chief Mike Sinclair told Gareth Parker on 6PR Breakfast the shift in strategy by some of the more luxury car brands and most EVs made it “an interesting new world”.

“They’re looking at added profitability in the long term, particularly for electric vehicles,” he said.

“Because we’ll see a change in the dynamic in terms of how vehicles are sold and how vehicles are from a brand point of view – parts, servicing – they’ll tend to be lower.

“So they’re looking to preserve their margins.”

Tap PLAY to hear more about how the activations will work