At the top of this and all the other google - androidauto pages

https://support.google.com/androidauto/thread/94913396?hl=en

is this banner:

If you’ve been using the Android Auto app on your phone screen, you’ll
need to switch to Google Assistant’s driving mode, a new integrated
driving experience. If your car is compatible with Android Auto, you can
still connect directly to your car’s display. Learn about other ways
Google is ready to make your drive better.

What do they mean by need? Is this a recent change, because until
May 28th, I was using AAuto just fine, without Google Assistant. Was it
just a coincidence that they started requiring GooAssistant at the same
time I changed phones?

In addition, there is a list of countries where Android Auto works. The
USA is on it and Spain is on it, but Greece is not, and yet it's been
working fine until I changed phones, and I'm 99.9% sure it worked fine
even before I got my VPN.
https://support.google.com/androidauto/thread/104445240
And why would you have to be in the right country for it to work? Google
maps and OSMand don't have region restrictions, and the other apps
should load their interface even if later something doesn't work right.

Then further down it lists "The Google Assistant for Android Auto is
available in the following countries:"
The US is on the list but Spain is not on the list. About 18 countries
are on the second list while 46 are on the first. What is the point of
being on the first list if you actually *need* to have google assistent
and you're not on the second list? You don't really need it?