Also used to winch a disabled vehicle up onto a roll-back truck.
Several years ago I had an accident in a Sprinter resulting in the vehicle ending up straddling a rail of a railroad track paralleling the highway. Two tow trucks -- one lifting by the trailer hitch, the other by the front bumper eye bolt -- were able to take most of the vehicle weight (loaded about 11,000#) and ease it over the rail and off the tracks. At least on the Sprinter the front fitting is very strong.
I don't believe that the eye bolts are used in any way during production or shipping to dealers. Everything is regulated these days and I would guess that these front "towing" points must meet some Federal regulations. Anyone want to research this?