Pre configured cars are either exposition cars, cars registered for a day to move OEM inventory, or dealer inventory, not sold like above. Or they are 6-12 months old and coming from various short term leasing and rental services. This approach makes planning for OEMs a lot easier as well. Oh, and you always pay whatever the ticlet price is,inus negotiated disclunts. Nothing like list price plus, just because the dealer feels like it.
But custom ordering for many cheaper mainstream brands has become kind of pointless. The manufacturers no longer allow picking and choosing individual options and instead roll everything into a couple of large option packages. So, if you want the good sound system then you have to pay for the sunroof as well even if you don't want it.
Many US consumers expect to buy a vehicle off the lot and drive it away that day. Part of that is cultural. But many customers come in to buy because their old car was just wrecked or broken down, so they can't afford to wait months for a replacement.
That has not been my experience at all. I frequently order my new cars when I'm buying a domestic brand. I pay invoice or less. (I did not buy a car during the pandemic mess). The dealer has a guaranteed sale with minimal overhead. I haven't yet had one tell me to go away.
It is not consistent in the US. You can order a car from any of the domestic manufacturers (or European ones, AFAIK). You take what you can get from the Asian manufacturers, when it shows up.
With a traditional dealer you are dealing essentially with middlemen who inventory vehicles or get order allocations from the manufacturer. Traditional dealers mostly make money on financing/parts/services/etc. If the dealer has no inventory/allocations then they don't really care about you. So they don't want you wasting their time if you are going to go order the car somewhere else. And realistically, you shouldn't care about them.. you have 1000 other places to go buy a Ford.
In the direct sales model, every person in that store works for the manufacturer as well. They are poisoning customers on the brand in its totality rather than just Joe Shmo Ford dealer in town. The stores are all portals to the same national inventory / order queue.
To go from "GFYS" in July to "Please buy our cars" in November/December is inept.