Kubels are just going to be one of those units that is going to remain stupid until some time. The same thing happened to the M3 Scout Car. Relic keeps adding T0-T1 vehicle units that are too powerful for the first few minutes.
Hey guys! Let's introduce a vehicle into a faction where it requires the player's stupidity or the opponent's luck for it to be destroyed! (<-------- Mainly M3)
The problem is that if Relic decides to remove the kubel then the early game OKW infantry are going to be obliterated by the allies infantry. Well, they can replace the kubel with the mg34 but knowing relic's previous history they won't do that. So it will probably be nerfed.
Because Trollic. They saw that the M3 was SO balanced, that they decided to add in TWO more vehicles as the first units arriving on the field (dodge truck situation vastly improved, though).
But seriously, shooting smoke at everything that twitches is pretty frustrating for the Axis enemy, and the LMG meta is supposed to be dying out. Smoke allows you to gain ground to perhaps enter a building, get into better cover, or to hide in when capping (late game shock troopers of mine are always forced to be this fodder since i will never build conscripts)
I know its supposed to be a joke, but shocks in an m3 will always kill a kubelwagen, and USF doesnt have shocks/m3's, so...
I guess players would rather rush in with their riflemen and expect to win. Thats how USF counters mg's..
Regardless, smoke counters the kubel. You get suppressed; you smoke it. It cant escape every time.