Built-in obsolescence: If you can’t fault it, you can’t afford it

What does the oft-spoken phrase “built-in obsolescence” mean regarding motor vehicles?  Several readers.

Built-in suggests “deliberately”. Obsolescent means something that does not last indefinitely and will need to be replaced. The full Thesaurus: dying out, becoming obsolete, going out of use, going out of fashion, on the decline, waning, disappearing, past its prime, ageing, moribund, on its last legs, outdated, old-fashioned, outmoded; informal on the way out, past it.