Your phone still connects to the cellular network without a sim card or eSim. It is mandated by law in the US. The only way to prevent your phone from connecting/pinging/being pinged by the cellular network is to put it in airplane mode.

(https://grapheneos.org/faq#cellular-tracking)

Whether there is a sim enabled/disabled/installed is irrelevant. The question is whether this feature is Airplain Mode or if it is just disable cellular.

Ah, I thought you were likening it to the disable cellular data button which does not disconnect the cellular network.

Instead you are referring to the fact that the radio may remain on even if it has no active SIM card.

Given that the primary concern of connected vehicles is changes over time and manufacturer control, I don’t see any reason to make that distinction for most people.