So working well in rural areas was probably a more important concern. A product that works OK for all your potential customers is better (from a business's point of view) than one that works a bit better for some customers and not at all for others.
Valid point. I couldn't easily find data on that, though I do think that at a certain point cars became one of those things you find a way to afford (even if you don't have a lot of money) because of how useful they are if you live in a rural area.
This article talks a lot about cars around 1900.
In the US in 1900, 60% of the population lived in rural areas and only 40% lived in cities. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbanization_in_the_United_Sta...)
So working well in rural areas was probably a more important concern. A product that works OK for all your potential customers is better (from a business's point of view) than one that works a bit better for some customers and not at all for others.