Yes, I wonder if manufacturers have actually ever invested resources in addressing that, since say... the 80s?
I mean, Tesla Model S instruments seems to be pretty OK in the cold, as far as I know?

In other words, I am not sure that cause-effect relationship is that and not the opposite. I would guess that because the whole industry never really tried, then LCDs instruments never really evolved to work as desired (with few notable recent exceptions).
Opposite example: diesel engines never really worked nicely in the cold, when I was a kid. Now they do, brilliantly, because many manufacturers worked on that technology and improved it.