Marketing: It's why your car speedometer goes so high

This is a great letter to a car blog on Marketplace.com. This guy wants to know why your car speedometer shows that you could theoretically do 140mph, when A. Your car can't, and B. It's illegal anyway.

The answer, as Tom and Ray correctly point out, is marketing. It just looks better. Chances are you aren't going to go much above 80, but this she-beast of a vehicle you are driving could if it wanted to.

You could also make the case that manufacturers would rather purchase one speedometer for use in all their vehicles regardless of how fast they go. But if that was the case, why did this guy get the two horrific answers from Toyota and Nissan?

Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. We appreciate this opportunity to address your inquiry. Some states within the United States have higher speed limits than other states. We hope you will find this information helpful. Thank you for taking the time to contact us with your inquiry.
Sincerely,
Toyota Customer Experience

What a stupid response. No, that wasn't helpful thank you very much. Nissan wasn't any better.

Thank you for taking the time to contact Nissan North America, Inc. and allowing us the opportunity to read and respond to your e-mail inquiry.
All vehicles are designed in this fashion, regardless of make or model. If you are seeking an exact reason as to why vehicles are designed this way, no further information can be provided.
I apologize if the response given is not satisfactory. Unfortunately no further information regarding vehicle/speedometer designs can be offered.
Sincerely,
Nissan North America, Inc.

What stupid and half-assed response. This is why people can't stand large corporations.