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A big part is the consumer - they just don't really care that much about fuel efficiency. Look at how many people drive SUVs, vans, or trucks to work every day. I had a Dodge Caliber and could get a half sheet (2x8) of plywood in. When I rented a plate compactor to do some concrete prep, the Home Depot guys were shocked I didn't bring a truck to pick it up in.
Ecomodders make up the minority of the car buying world. Some people care enough to pick the better MPG between two similar cars, but just as many would rather have the horsepower. My wife was dead set against me getting a Scion xB because they were "ugly" - no practical concern, pure asthetics. When my mom traded her minivan for a VW Golf, she insisted on the V6 because that's what the van had, and she was afraid of the loss of power. A kammback or boat tail looks smart and sexy to us, but it looks like the fish tails of an old 60's car to other buyers.
That said, engineers could probably put more in without not making it look "ugly". However, that requires that money be spent in that direction, and not necessarily money that will get a good payback. I'm fairly eco-friendly, but I couldn't have told you the reason the Toyota Matrix is more aero frirendly than the Caliber (other than the boxy front end). Auto engineers spend a lot of time just working on repeatability - how do we engineer part A so that the assembler can install it right every time, and that the mechanic can get it off without breaking it and needing to replace it. How much is the tooling going to cost to make this part? Etc. Things that we, as one-off designers, don't have to worry about.
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