All businesses are built on the practice charging more than the value of a product to make money. They're not running a daisy farm. The example I'll use is Ford Motor Company (but it applies to all car companies). The instant you drive the car of the lot you lose 20% or more of its value. The smarmy sales people sell it to you as a luxury item, or fancy new technology or a status symbol. But the truth is they are selling you an overpriced product. They're not selling anything at cost. They have also historically cut safety to make products cheaper, or developed planned obsolesce of products to wear out faster and make more money from spare parts and repairs. Sometime they make smart decisions, like assembly lines, and make more money being efficient. Sometimes they develop products everybody wants like the mustang. But it does not change the fact that they are a business and are trying to charge more then the product is worth. It is debatable that cars are good for society. But people want them and are willing to pay for them. Ford has been doing it for over 100 years.