How big trucks and SUVs gobbled up the entire auto industry
How it started
When I was growing up in the Midwest, everyone I knew drove small cars. My dad had a light pink Volvo 240, my mom drove a Dodge Dart, and my grandmother had a 1988 Honda Accord – which would eventually become my first car. We lived in the suburbs, so almost no one drove a truck, but if they did it was something small like a Ford Ranger or Toyota Hilux.
Over time, those small cars were replaced by SUVs of increasing size. Today, anyone searching for anything smaller than a compact SUV will probably come up dry. Ford killed its sedan production in North America a number of years ago. GM took a little longer, but eventually, w …