Usually features like auto locking are tied into things that you need or want.
I hated the electric parking brake on my corvette, but unless you used it the easy exit/entry wouldn't work.
It would have avoided using the emergency brake, they have a habit of sticking and burning up brakes, these new ones adjust themselves if it malfunctions you have to take the rear fender liner out to release it.
The insurance companies are the ones driving this in the name of safety.
If someone wants your car, while you are driving it they are going to get it anyway the can, the only thing this feature would do is slow them down by a few seconds until they break the window.
I would bet this thing is tied into the computer, like most things today, if you disabled it the car would throw codes.