> If a car company decides to artificially cripple their car so that you feel forced to pay extra; another car company is going to see that as a golden opportun

> If a car company decides to artificially cripple their car so that you feel forced to pay extra; another car company is going to see that as a golden opportunity to undercut. Or to join forces in a cartel. This was the reasoning behind the Phoebus Cartel[0], although in the business of incandescent lamps not car manufacturing. Osram, Philips, Tungsram, Associated Electrical Industries, ELIN, Compagnie des Lampes, International General Electric, and the GE Overseas Group were part of this organization to reduce the longevity of lamps to increase sales. It is a fascinating story :( [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebus_cartel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebus_cartel