It seems SUVs are selling more than smaller cars.

Are people buying more expensive SUVs only nowadays or manufacturers are only pushing SUVs because profit margin is higher on them?

When I search on Auto Trader, I see more SUVs for sale than hatchback (e.g. Kia Sportage vs Ceed).

Crossovers are very popular, more spacious and more practical than the equivalent size hatchback - it's customer demand, not a manufacturers' conspiracy!

Some bright spark in an office dreamt up the concept of a hatchback on stilts, then the first crossover was born, was it the Nissan Qashquai? There wasn't a demand by customers, they are given what they are given, no choice on the matter. Then everyone buys the same, either to fit in with the crowd, or they actually like the concept and it suits them, or the model they really wanted has become obsolete and they have no choice but to buy one.

Of course there's a choice - no-one is forced to buy a crossover, there are still hatchbacks available to purchase, eg Corsa, Astra, Insignia, Fiesta, Focus, Polo, Golf.

Yes and no - as I've mentioned before, cars on the outside get bigger but are getting smaller on the inside due to more gizmos and safety features. I noticed this when I was looking to buy a replacement for my 2006 Mazda3 saloon a few years ago, where all of the possibles of the same type I looked at appeared to be less spacious inside.

I also think that many have far shallower boots (possibly because they have underboot areas by design) which is no use to me.

It means you often have to go up in the range and size, say to an SUV. Annoyingly, many saloons (like mine) have decent boot space but the aperture is small and not suitable to fit certain items through like large boxes. A hatchback opening (as all SUVs have as well as standard hatchback cars [obviously]) is useful for access and thus takes most saloons off my list, which is a shame, as they fit the bill in most other respects, some of them being excellent in terms of the drive, interior space and styling.

There wasn't a demand by customers, they are given what they are given, no choice on the matter. T

Nissan tried a new style of car - which was popular and people bought it. Other manufacturers saw that and so produced similar cars. People bought those as well - which is why there are so many of them now. So the make less more traditional hatchbacks as the majority don't want them. If you were a mainstream manufacturer would you produce cars the majority of people don't want?

No, but I don't understand why so much technology is sunk into engines to use less fuel then those engines are placed in a car which is heavier and less aerodynamic than before, just to sit a bit higher. Those two factors are some of the easiest to implement. So when people moan about the price of fuel (the poor, downtrodden motorist), and then go out and buy a crossover, I don't have a lot of sympathy. People are welcome to buy whatever they want, and crossovers are one of those choices, but it's a strange mismatch of concepts by manufacturers in this day and age of striving for more efficiency.

Edited by corax on 07/01/2023 at 11:44

"Talbot Rancho"

Now that brings back childhood memories. I suppose the modern equivalent is possibly the Dacia Jogger.

Originally the Matra-Simca Rancho, it was the first crossover - based on the mundane FWD Simca 1100.

In the end, I bought an SUV because there is a limited and largely unsatisfactory choice of hatches and saloons. It seems the only way to get a decent interior and a bit of comfort is from a small selection of Mercs, BMWs and Audis. Other brands make 'premium' versions (Vignale etc) but they're pretty half hearted and they stick enormous wheels on them that make the whole thing bone- rattling.

It comes down to personal choice and circumstance. I like big estates because they can carry lots of stuff with good running costs, but unless you want German, there is a dwindling number of good, Japanese petrol examples. Mondeo has been axed, and I can't see the Insignia hanging on for much longer.

I thought that the Insigia has already gone - according to Autocar, Vauxhall won't be selling an ICE version any more but it may return in 2026, but as an EV only...

The Mazda6 has I think also just gone out of production, with models still being sold in the UK as stocks dwindle, but I doubt if they sell many, despite it's stylish looks (best in the Mazda range) and excellent drive. A new model is supposedly imminent, but like with many other makes, I'd be we won't get it due to low historical sales over the last 10 years.

The Toyota Avensis and Camry have also recently departed, at least in the UK (I'd bet that many of this type of car are still sold in North America), so it looks like it's VAG, German or the few luxury brands of the Orientals that still sell in the UK (mainly Lexus), and I'd bet many of them will be EV-only options sooner rather than later.

The days of the big ICE barge is over. What a shame.

The Mazda6 has I think also just gone out of production, with models still being sold in the UK as stocks dwindle, but I doubt if they sell many, despite it's stylish looks (best in the Mazda range) and excellent drive. A new model is supposedly imminent, but like with many other makes, I'd be we won't get it due to low historical sales over the last 10 years.

The Toyota Avensis and Camry have also recently departed, at least in the UK (I'd bet that many of this type of car are still sold in North America), so it looks like it's VAG, German or the few luxury brands of the Orientals that still sell in the UK (mainly Lexus), and I'd bet many of them will be EV-only options sooner rather than later.

The days of the big ICE barge is over. What a shame.

~5,000 pa of all Mazda6 variants sold throughout Europe in 2021, 2022 looking on track for similar. carsalesbase.com/europe-mazda6/

Very, very few hatches/station wagons sold in the US these days. Whilst the likes of the Camry /Accord are hanging in there as saloons/sedans, sales are way down on what they would have been only a few years ago. Most of the US brands have already given up on sedans leaving them to Japanese, Koreans & at the luxury end, German brands.e.g. Ford dropped the Fusion/Mondeo. carsalesbase.com/us-midsized-cars-2022-q3/

It is mostly SUV/Crossover & of course, pickups in the USA (the 3 biggest sellers are not only all pickups but all large pickups).

The main difference is though that the North American market is 6x and more the size of ours and thus its (for the moment) enough to keep selling them, albeit less of them than before, and that (as you said), most Europeans will buy German makes if they want a large car.