[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

A couple of anomalies in the stats and definitions:

- I would consider 'crossovers' and small SUVs as passenger cars, even though the government and industry do not.

I'm most concerned with the vehicles' on road dynamics (and I think a preponderance of enthusiasts would feel similarly). So regardless of what you call it, a BMW SAV, for example, is not a suitable alternative to a BMW Series car for my purposes and tastes. And comparing the M products isn't necessarily an improvement.

Furthermore, what these entities call 'light trucks' are often considered cars by most of the populace. Examples: the VW Golf and the Subaru Forester/Outback.

I'm surprised if the Golf is considered a light truck by the government or any entity in the private sector. Is it? Maybe the new Alltrack I suppose, I believe Chrysler was able to lobby the EPA into putting the truck label on the old Magnum wagon, for example. Even still, the Golf in any form is a real stretch as a truck. Where did you see it as such?

The Forester driving experience is just like any other crossover, and an Outback isn't far off. I've spent some time in them and their competition lately - wife is in the market. That competition includes the aforementioned Alltrack BTW, and the contrast is quite night and day.

The flip side of that is that some companies consider small SUVs as passenger cars, like BMW does with the X1.

Right, so the game is played both ways. Seems to me that, unless we intend to go model by model and get the classification, at best we can say there may be a bias toward one or the other, but we don't know.

Now, in practice I do agree that automakers are most inclined to shoehorn everything they can into the truck bin due to favorable CAFE terms. But, there's a limit to what gets a pass. A three box (non pickup) isn't getting in, so the shenanigans only go so far. Though having said that, I do wonder about the Volvo S60 XC. Worth a look.

- The passenger car won't disappear anytime soon.

Maybe not. Neither may the ICE or MT for that matter - I'm just pointing out the trends. They needn't disappear to become, for practical purposes, niche.

In fact, it will almost certainly enjoy a resurgence as alternative-fuel vehicles take hold, fuel prices climb upward (and they will), and 'self-driving' technology becomes mass viable and marketable.

...

There's no denying that in the U.S., truck-like vehicles are selling better. But it will be a somewhat temporary trend that fewer and fewer vehicle manufacturers will play in as the industry becomes more globalized, within which the U.S. market will become less and less important.

I'm not so optimistic. In fact, I strongly believe self driving vehicles will evolve to be more crossover/SUV-like the further and further the font seat occupant's role is moved away from piloting and more toward being chauffeured. That is to say that I don't expect a reversal in the trend toward tall-ish, two-box vehicles.

Furthermore, more PHEV and EV crossovers are coming soon, and numbers will no-doubt rise quickly as compared to the passenger car counterparts.