[michaelt]

I once read an article that claimed the rise of SUVs/Crossovers in America was the result of a number of factors.

* A loophole allows SUVs to bypass pollution regulations by calling themselves 'light trucks'

* Japanese automakers were outcompeting American automakers in the late 1990s in the car segment - but not the SUV segment. Lawmakers don't want to close the loophole, because SUV sales are propping up US automakers.

* The US auto industry made a big marketing push for SUVs - adverts, product placement in movies and so on - branding them as a sporty choice for your active lifestyle, in contrast to the staid image of minivans and station wagons.

* If you do market research on SUV owners asking them why they chose that car - they'll say they like the fact it's spacious. Makers of regular cars saw the market asking for bigger cars.

* As you've identified, stricter safety demands for things like crumple zones have also added to vehicles' sizes.

* With people's heights and waistlines growing every generation, it's unlikely we'll ever see a renaissance of cars as small as the European cars of the 1970s like the Mini Mk 1 or the Reliant Robin.

[ajmurmann]

"Japanese automakers were outcompeting American automakers in the late 1990s in the car segment - but not the SUV segment. Lawmakers don't want to close the loophole, because SUV sales are propping up US automakers."

The reason for this is tariffs on SUV imports.

[slaw]

> * A loophole allows SUVs to bypass pollution regulations by calling themselves 'light trucks'

SUVs, light trucks and cars have to pass the same emission standards in the US. I think you meant fuel economy that has different rules for light trucks and cars.