Glad to see so much due appreciation for Cybertron toys from yourself and others. Everyone generally pans the Unicron trilogy: fiction AND toys.
You're onto something there. I would say that post-cybertron, even if the transformations were more complicated, most toys would have been cheaper to manufacture than a cybertron toy of the same size class. Less screws, more ball and socket joints, thinner plastic and fewer paint apps means less cost regardless of how long it takes to transform the toy.