It’s not quite the same thing, but luxury-level carmakers are introducing something along the same lines. They don’t sell the base automobile at a loss, but they are trying to switch over to an ongoing-revenue type of model, where activation of key up-sell features is supported by monthly subscription rather than a one-time installation fee like it used to be.
A friend who works on the floor of an auto manufacturer opines that this is less about changing the revenue stream, and more about saving money during manufacturing. It’s cheaper, he says, to make every single car exactly the same way, with all common features included, than it is to accept buyer-customized orders via dealers that require individual cars to receive individual attention on the line. He’s on the floor, though, so he’s not directly privy to management strategy, and he concedes this is just his opinion. Still, it makes sense.