Why automakers made trunk or liftgate latches fully power dependent? (2010, sedans)

[citizensadvocate]

I remember up to the 2000s car trunk latches were mixed electronic and hand latch meaning that they could be opened electronically by remote as well as manually by hand without the use of the cars electric system or Just like the doors of the car. This applies to vans and SUVs with lift gates too. But these days it appears to pop open a trunk or liftgate you have to involve the cars electric system, this applies even to non power liftgates as well. I wonder why, as if the battery goes dead or power fails any other reason the trunk or liftgate will not open nor unlatch. This could be bad if the jumper cables are under layers of luggage or camping supplies and the only way to reach it is via the folding seats. And worse for many sedans these days you can no longer fold down the seats from inside the passenger compartment as the seat releases are now in the trunk. Any reason for this change?

The worst case scernario is if the electrical system shorts out in an emergency when critical emergency supplies are located in the trunk.

[Stonepa]

Because manufacturers deisgn cars for the real world. Although any one of the situations you describe could possibly happen, unless it actually will happen and by not working without sufficient power the company opens themselves up for a class action lawsuit, they won't accommodate it. It just costs too much and is too limiting to design for every single situation.

[citizensadvocate]

I would be surprised if cars don’t run out of battery these days nor suffer electrical issues.
I highly doubt it. As car batteries are finite and people still get stuck with dead batteries these days. And current model cars do suffer electrical failures and short circuits as well.

Though any reason they phrased out the hybrid electric/manual door latches though? Most all the cars prior to 2005 had it they started to disappear starting that year though and by the 2010s there are hardly any with door handles anymore, And they worked well with power locks and power Lift gates. What’s the main reason that to get rid of them?