If this makes the total cost of ownership up front significantly cheaper while keeping overall costs to operate equivalent over the time I plan on keeping the c

If this makes the total cost of ownership up front significantly cheaper while keeping overall costs to operate equivalent over the time I plan on keeping the car, this is a completely rational idea. I'm not sure what everyone is so upset about. Sometimes there is a solid economic / utility argument to be made for a certain subset of consumers that will help increase sales. If you don't want it, don't buy it.