[brk]

There is more cost savings than you might think in a simplified wiring harness. Some 3rd party organization builds the harness, then it ships to the manufacturer, where it is usually installed by humans.

Besides the material savings of less actual wire, you most likely have labor savings on the harness build, and possibly on the installation if the new harness is easier to install based on the reduced overall weight and complexity.

The networking methodology side would likely not be overly complex. We already have CANbus device networks, and the associated software stacks. Changing to an ethernet based approach is a well-understood transition that would not require major changes, at least not beyond the incremental updates and other things that the engineers are already likely to be working on.