In the US midwest at least, almost everyone who buys a cheapo bike from Walmart, Target, etc buys what is basically a terrible hardtail mountain bike. Front fork suspension, wide knobby tires, etc.

My assumption is that people buy them since they are a touch more comfortable than a full rigid bike frame.

Imperfections in the road at 30mph are very different than at 15mph. Especially on a cheap frame.

A fat tire can stand in for a shock, but "cheap" bikes don't usually fit 3" of rubber either.

Relatively cheap electric fatbikes like [1] are currently very popular in Italy, as far as I have seen on a recent holiday:

[1] https://elettrica-bike.it/en/product/fat-bike-vulcano-s-tipe...

Shock absorbers = Suspension

I don’t see any ebikes being sold without at least a 50mm front shock. The added weight of the battery+motor makes it essential

I have a Trek Allant+ 9.9S that is shockless.

Wow carbon fibre, and the tyres don't seem too thick.. How does it ride?

Ahhhh I think I understand - it's a "speedbike" right? So only for driving on roads like a car, so there's no question of forest tracks or gravel walkways.

I upgraded from a Trek xm700+ with a front shock. Both served me well but I don't miss the shock.

Yep, they're both commuter/cruiser type bikes, so probably not best offroad.

Both have the top end Bosch Class 3 motor, so they're usually against the rules on trails in my area.

Being pedantic, the suspension of the xm700+ doesn't have a shock. Its a simple coil spring that gives the wheel some room to wiggle. Shock absorbers actually dissipate that energy with oil/air/rubber.

If you ride it like a bicycle and try to avoid potholes and curbs, simpler designs work great.