Chevrolet Malibu heads for the junkyard as GM shifts focus to electric vehicles

We had a minivan that, due to icy conditions, would up rear ending a SUV. The van was totaled because the hood went under the raised rear suspension. Wound up eventually (after another minivan) with a Civic. Get an SUV? Screw that noise... the arms race of Bigger Better Faster Stronger is just going to eat last year's model, and the fuel efficiency is ridiculous... if I'm gonna die in a crash, I'm enjoying the time that comes before.

That said, I agree that the vast majority of consumers thinks like you outlined, and it's killing the sedan and minivan market. Eventually, it's going to be all SUVs, with an almost enforced mandate to upgrade every two years or practically admit that the injuries from a resulting collision are your fault. The Canyonero era of vehicle manufacture.

Practicality may factor in too, and hatchbacks of any sort (SUV, wagon, or otherwise) are considerably more practical than sedans due to their larger, less restrictive cargo space and increased roof rack area. For vehicles that have both sedan and hatch versions (e.g. Mazda 3), the hatches tend to be a bit shorter too which can also be desirable.

P=mv, so remember to drive n+1% faster an SUV n% heavier than your sedan, so you can still kick their ass in a collision.

Any survivability comes from being able to move a lighter car (turning it into a movable object instead of a stationary one). Two cars of equal weight and speed are effectively hitting a stationary object. If two cars of equal momentum collide, neither gives way, and the 60mph collision is more like hitting a brick wall at 120mph.

(This should be considered for entertainment purposes only and is not legal advice.)

Personally, I prefer either an suv or a truck because I frequently transport large bulky materials or lumber a few times monthly

I also go camping in many places with rock trail roads that a sedan (or even some lower SUV’s) simply could not handle

With that being said I do recognize that I am probably in the minority of people that use a larger vehicle

I feel that people don't want to buy midsized sedans (let alone compact cars) precisely because there are so many oversized cars on the road and they wouldn't feel safe in anything else.

This way of thinking has been around for a long time too. I remember my mom opting for a suburban in the early 90s over a minivan, then my dad would only consider an SUV when getting a car for my brother and me to share when we were teenagers. In both situations, it was an arms race mentality where they wanted us to be bigger and higher up than the car we would be hitting in a potential collision. My parents have driven SUVs ever since, and that same reasoning has still been brought up in the context of toting the grandkids around over 30 years later. It's like a massive prisoner's dilemma, but the automobile industry certainly preys on it.