| Comment | Not to let everybody off the hook, as sometimes it is obviously people going for an unwieldy status symbol that's entirely unsuitable for urban environments, but increasingly there's little choice provided by the manufacturers.
At least in the States, there are significant cost, safety and regulatory loopholes to be found in classifying something as a sports utility vehicle or light van, even when it's clearly just an significantly oversized hatchback.
I don't think the cost savings and regulatory exemptions exist to quite the same extent on this side of the pond, but we're living in a global market where trends spread quickly. A combination of there being various incentives for car manufacturers to produce cars of this style, and undeniable demand from consumers who want to be *inside* what they perceive as a bigger, more robust car, mean all cars are getting bigger.
Sometimes the only solution is regulation. |
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