That's an interesting observation, because the equivalent of dowry has mostly disappeared in China due to the gender imbalance. And in some cases even the reverse (groom's family paying a dowry, in cash or real-estate) is demanded.
I believe the groom demanded to be paying for car and house is actually majority of the cases in China these days, especially in cities. Women have decent income themselves, most parents only have a single child, so why should mine (girl) be worth less than yours (boy) while there are plenty of men to be chosen from with a short supply of women