I chose to believe what I heard in this case
That Max wanted the HMX to be a more affordable HM.
Why he did this, the intentions - whether to really thank his fans (including me) so they can get an anniversary piece at a good price (which I really respect honestly) or as Andrew mentioned, maybe a marketing gimmick to draw new customers who previously couldn't afford an MBF or a reaction to market slowdown etc - I really won't know the real intentions of marketers.
So yes I believe MBF did want specifically the HMX to be more affordable. The intentions of that I will never know for sure. But I respect Max Busser and I chose to believe in the good faith part personally - that's just my personal view 
They might jolly well have a HM7 or LM3 that might be even cheaper or lots more expensive I won't know 
Cheers
Robin