Here we have the hottest car in the world and one that's highly profitable for a small car, too. Everybody loves it. But the Journal editors found the bad news. And they got it wrong. That means its main function is to put a halo over the whole lineup.
People come in to see the halo and buy one of the regular models.
This is the theory, but I have no proof that it works like that. Halos pay for themselves if they win favorable publicity. But the other cars in the showroom have to sell themselves. The halo can't do it. No they weren't.