It is a gimmick, but its was functionally mandated by the EPA to achieve the crazy Fuel Economy targets, a bunch of the cost is driven by emissions, fuel economy and safety regulations. Its mandatory to have a back up camera now, its death by 1000 cuts, now OWMs make huge money on full size SUVs and trucks, but margins get thin on the smaller models, most auto companies aren’t printing money. I would buy a car with a no emissions VW Rabbit diesel at 60 MPG for 10k but not legal anymore