Why are pickups and SUVs so popular?
American love Pickups and SUVs. We just can't get enough of it. But why have they become so popular these days? Believe it or not, there isn't just one answer to this question, it is diverse and more complicated than you might expect.
Our addiction to these vehicles is a strange thing. For example, conventional sedans are usually more comfortable, more efficient and often much easier to drive. Logically, their sales shouldn't go down, but they have been and have been for decades. This is in part because trucks and SUVs appeal to the vanity of drivers as they are often dressed in macho style. But beneath that sturdy body are vehicles that tend to be far more powerful than cars. You can go off-road in a pickup truck or crossover, camp, haul kayaks, and pull your favorite toys - tasks your average sedan just isn't up to. Frankly, have you ever seen anyone do the Rubicon Trail all in one Corolla? Of course you don't!
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In addition, trucks received a boost from the government. In the 1970s and 1980s, something like the corporate average was called Fuel consumption, CAFE in short, became a thing. It was designed to improve vehicle efficiency, and it did, despite the fact that automakers kept building smaller and smaller cars to comply with these regulations. This legislation had less of an impact on trucks, resulting in a strange shift in consumer demand. Still wanting bigger vehicles, especially those with burly V8s, motorists started buying trucks, though history goes beyond that.
Check out the video embedded above to find out why pickups and SUVs have become the vehicle of choice for drivers, especially in the 21st century. It's an interesting story that you don't want to miss.
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