LIN's simplicity and robustness make it a prime choice especially when it comes to subsystems: that is a part of an electronic system inside a car, which has no need of interfacing to the main CAN network of the vehicle. It is used rather as a communication method within an electronic unit, rather than within the car.

As such, the LIN transceivers are still on the market, subject to all the constraints that drive the development of other electronics: miniaturization, reliability, features and above all obviously cost.
Since there is only so much a LIN transceiver can do, based on the current specifications of the standard, one way the major IC manufacturers found in order to compete and to improve miniaturization was by placing the LIN transceiver in a bundle with other functionalities. And the functionality that will always be required in an electronic module is the power supply.

Several IC manufacturers decided to place a LIN transceiver in the same package with a voltage regulator; at first it was a little unclear why they decided to advertise this as a LIN transceiver with integrated voltage regulator, rather than a voltage regulator with an integrated LIN transceiver. But then I realized that when you are searching for a power supply for your application, it is unlikely that you will select one based on the criteria whether it has a LIN transceiver or not.

Not only is the voltage regulator included in this package, but these ICs also provide a very useful reset output, which may be used to enable the micro when all voltage levels are fine, thus removing the need (in some cases) for the annoying separate reset circuit:

Two major players put out such devices: Microchip, OnSemi and a less known manufacturer - Melexis.

The advantages of such ICs are pretty straightforward. They take less space on the PCB than what a separate LIN transceiver and voltage regulator would need; they simplify the design and in addition, you pay for one less package. All of them are automotive qualified, benefiting of everything that means: wide temperature range, wide voltage input range, high reliability. The possible (oversimplified) architecture of a general system that is still connected to the CAN bus of the car but is also using LIN is suggested below by Microchip:

The slaves can really consist of nothing else but the new LIN transceiver with the voltage regulator, the micro and the sensors. Such architecture is suitable for high end designs of Airbag Control Units (the ECU and the acceleration/pressure satellites), Vehicle Camera Systems (the ECU and the surrounding cameras), distance sensors etc.

One word of advice though. Also suitable and versatile, these ICs only offer limited amount of current. The best of them (only from this point of view) offers 70mA at 5V, which is not enough under some circumstances. Although you might get more current if you use 3.3V logic and an additional switching supply to take voltage down from 5V, this approach would defeat the purposes of such devices: more ICs, more packages, more complicated schematic, obviously higher price.

For the designer it is reassuring to know the devices exist off the shelf. The price saving is not only in having two functionalities in one housing, or smaller PCB, but also the logistics will be helped by having a single supplier instead of possibly two, storing one component instead of two delivering one component to the manufacturing floor instead of two. At huge production quantities, even the fact that the pick&place machine only places one component on the PCB instead of two is regarded as a gain, and the yield is improved by having one component instead of two.

Buy Voltage Regulators from Farnell (24h delivery).

Read the Italian version: Ricetrasmettitori LIN con Regolatore di Tensione Integrato