You say "early on" but... Are there any actual cases of this strategy being executed by a manufacturer at any time in history? If so, I guess I'll have to eat

You say "early on" but... Are there any actual cases of this strategy being executed by a manufacturer at any time in history? If so, I guess I'll have to eat my words, but it just really sounds like a hypothetical scenario the dealerships would have cooked up to try and push these laws that massively benefit them.