Nah. A lot of it is is protectionism. For example, european cars came with significantly better headlights in the US but they put less light above the road, wh

Nah. A lot of it is is protectionism. For example, european cars came with significantly better headlights in the US but they put less light above the road, which didn't meet a standard designed for non-reflective road signs. The manufacturers tried to get the standard updated, but the US auto industry blocked it, which resulted in car companies having to make US-specific, shittier, headlights - at significant expense - because GM and Ford didn't wanted more competitive advantage.