> so I didn't understand why automakers kept shoving them in.

The article explained why. Since 2018 in the US, due to the proliferation of giant trucks being used as passenger vehicles (SUV's) backup cameras have been mandatory safety equipment. A backup camera requires a screen. So the automakers have to install a screen in the dashboard.

It is only a few dollars more to install a "touch screen" vs. a "basic display screen", and with the addition of those few dollars to the screen, that touch screen can now replace hundreds of dollars of physical buttons and their necessary wiring.

Net result, the BOM cost of the car drops by several hundred dollars, and the cost to assemble drops by some measurable amount as well.

So they why is: "because they save the automakers BOM and assembly costs".