> That certainly *was* the case once. Curiously, while A/C and electric
> windows used to be expensive luxuries that nobody but the Prime Minister
> could afford, today it seems that almost *every* car has these things.
> And I'm not sure how that happened...

It happens with everything in cars.  Electric mirrors, tape players, CD 
players, MP3 capability, bluetooth, LCD display in instrument cluster, 
ABS, traction control, stability control, flat-tyre sensors, rain 
sensors, navigation, power steering, fuel injection ... the list is 
endless and will continue to grow.

> Presumably it still costs exactly
> the same amount of money to actually manufacture these things so...?

At the beginning manufacturing costs are negligible, you're paying for 
the development costs (maybe the car maker is in partnership with one 
particular supplier to develop the technology).  After several car 
cycles (decades) eventually you'll get to the stage where there are no 
further development costs - where you (as the car maker) have the choice 
of 100 different suppliers all making the same part and selling it 
barely above the manufacturing costs.

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