It is a benefit for consumers. Lower weight for better fuel. More fancy gizmos on the car for a lower price.

... until it breaks and now, as the person above said, you've got a three-digit repair bill.

It's often the case that consumers will seek out the lowest price no matter how high the cost.

I own a vehicle built in 1981. I can absolutely assure you that CAN is better for consumers. People seem to forget the two-inch thick bundles of wires, the hours spent tracing one turn indicator cable, the insulation of the cables in the middle starting to rot and things shorting out, water getting trapped in bundles, failures modes including stuff melting inside the dashboard from high-current stuff all being wired back to a central place... I could go on.

Not having to rerun a bunch of cables is a huge boon. CAN bus and other digital control mechanisms are a god send for maintenance and upgradability.