Ford and the other carmakers at the time absolutely tried to build that kind of lock in. The only reason it didn’t stick is because Congress stepped in with the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Automakers wanted to force you to buy OEM parts and pay for OEM service, and the anti tying rules killed that. It wasn’t some natural property of the market. It was government regulation that kept the ecosystem open.

If phones had gotten a Magnuson Moss style intervention 10 years ago, the platform dynamics would be totally different today.

I'm sure they're trying to change that. OEMs are now using the infotainment screen to advertise their new models.