I don’t believe it. It’s a line that is pushed by PR in the car industry but if anything, except for cops and car rental companies, American think buying a sedan is like putting their hand in a toilet.
Americans buy a lot of SUVs and they are all hatchbacks!
I think it comes down to profit. Eliminate all the base models, keep moving bigger and more "luxury". You may sell fewer cars but the profit margins are fatter. Jack up an economy hatchback, bloat it few inches and slap in some heated seats and a big screen. Offer AWD, now it's a "crossover" you can charge $5000+ more for worse fuel economy.
Honda for example, drops the Fit hatchback for the HR-V crossover in the US. The HR-V has similar useable interior space, is built on the same platform as the Fit, but is lifted up and costs more.
The last year of the US Fit in 2020 started at $17,145 with destination. The current HR-V starts at $25,095!
> Americans buy a lot of SUVs and they are all hatchbacks!
Hatchback / Hatch as a vehicle class doesn't mean "has a hatch on the back", as unintuitive as that may be. It's specifically a compact 5dr /car/. SUVs are not cars, they are trucks, crossovers are an abomination made by a Mini-Van and an SUV having a baby.
Compact 5DR cars are nearly non-existent in the US market.
I'm in the US and I'm sick of the focus on SUVs and crossover vehicles. Shopping for a Mazda3 recently and the company seems to be bending over backwards to persuade me to get an SUV instead.
Americans buy a lot of SUVs and they are all hatchbacks!