[beluga]

Car purchases seem to be 90% emotional based on my past experience working at a dealer, and being a buyer out in the world... otherwise we would all drive a Yaris or hybrid Yaris ("C") or Yugo or VW Rabbit diesel..

this isn't just a US phenom, the rest of the world wants the biggest fanciest car possible too. It's certainly a "first/developed world problem."

I read that carmakers did psychographic studies in neuromarketing to figure out that SUVs would be good for vain, insecure people, which much of the US is for various reasons. but in general "most people are sheep" seems true. go with the flock. (anywhere in the world.)

it's just that here, we had access to cheap oil for decades, so it manifested a certain material way.