[grp000]

From the article in the first paragraph: "To comply with today’s stringent crash regulations – by passing offset, side and roof impact tests, as well as those evaluating pedestrian protection performance – cars require considerable cubic metres of controllably crushable bodywork."

[addicted]

I’m pretty sure the reason an SUV is bigger than a compact has little to do with the differences in the width of the walls.

[grp000]

The article is addressing the size increases in car models between generations. Popularity of SUVs over other types of car is a different issue.