You make a fair point, but I think you do have to consider that this is already the case in automotive manufacture. At any given point there are a range of cars

You make a fair point, but I think you do have to consider that this is already the case in automotive manufacture. At any given point there are a range of cars on the road that have a variety of safety features differentiated on cost: antilock brakes, front and side airbags, "adaptive" cruise control that won't let you plow into a car in front of you etc. Never mind all of the more mundane mechanical fasteners, fire suppression, etc. This isn't a new reality where there is some degree of engineering culpability inherent on auto makers, it's a moving of the goal posts.