To keep the rover in the news during a fairly boring period of checking everything out post-landing.
NASA's press strategy has gotten dramatically more competent in the last 20 years or so.
They're also working on deploying Ingenuity right now but yeah they're also probably using it to not fall completely off the radar during the relatively slow initial checkout period.
Overall public option of these programs have a huge effect on funding. So I'm glad their press strategy has gotten so much better.
Also, if Perseverance had slammed into Mars at 200 mph, they wouldn't have "Part of Wright Brothers' plane now in toxic radioactive junk heap on Mars; Thanks NASA!" plastered over the daily headlines.