Google Assistant car mics might be shutting down soon

Why on earth did they make these when they already had several automotive solutions that worked direct from the phone? This is such a dumb product.

I thought this article was going to be about the microphone that comes included with aftermarket radios. I had no idea that dedicated cigarette lighter mics were a thing. No wonder why they're shutting it down. Between the mic(s) on your phone and the mic that came with your stereo, it's a twice redundant product. Why did it even exist to begin with? Who is this for? Someone who doesn't own an aftermarket radio or a car made in the past decade, who also doesn't have a phone but somehow has access to Android Auto? What were they thinking? Why would anyone buy this?