I think the important point is that the comment you are responding to was talking about 2012. CarPlay didn't come out until 2014, Android Auto in 2015. So before that, the only option for infotainment systems was various levels of suckage, and I think it was a differentiator among people wanting the "least sucky" system.

These days, even when I see the rate infotainment system that is pretty good, people still want CarPlay/Android Auto because that's what they're used to, and it already integrates with settings and data that have already been configured on the user's phone.

It used to be a standard $1k - $2k upgrade to get the navigation system which I imagine was highly profitable. It certainly didn't seem like any car manufacturer put much effort into it. Sometimes they could even get you to buy $300 map updates! With Car Play and Android Auto I don't know who's paying for that any more.