Having spent 40 years working for a major corporation, I will say that decisions made by management are based on input from various departments.
Marketing is to sell product. Engineering is to ensure it works. Legal is to protect the company and shareholder assets.
While we have no way of knowing exactly what was said in that conference room, we can assume the relevant departments had their say, and when all said and done of course, mgmnt told marketing to put a palatable spin on what gets output to the dealers and public.
I go back to my earlier statement: I like tongue weight. Engineering and legal do too, I suspect.