Power windows were obviously a luxury feature at first. Is the reason they’ve become standard because they’re cheaper than crank windows to manufacture? Otherwise it seems like some low end economy cars would still have them
I think the reason is simply that nobody wants manual windows any more.
Credit is given out like candy so why try to pinch a few pennies.
There are substantial production cost savings for a manufacturer if they can produce more standardized products, savings which can be greater than the savings to the customer for the slightly cheaper second version of a vehicle. That's why these days you can't find cars (in the US) that don't have electric windows, heaters, AC, radios and such standard - back in the 60's and early 70's, people would still buy a car with a three-speed manual, no AC, no radio, wind-up windows, no power steering, etc. Now, a dealer would have a lot of trouble moving one of those off their lot, so they don't want them that way.
Now, the options that manufacturers offer are ones which have an additional profit margin - like sunroofs or leather upholstery. "Stripper" models are nowhere to be found.
@glen_stet so it’s not necessarily that it’s cheaper to make, but rather they make more money forcing you to have power windows
