The SUV Arms Race
Automotive sale & safety trends
Key Questions
What is the average car size?
What is a crossover?
Why are cars getting so big?
How much safer are cars nowadays?
Topics Covered
Best Selling Cars
Crossovers
SUVs
Car Safety Trends
Best Selling Cars Global All Time
#1 best selling car global all time vs #2 best selling car global all time
#1 best selling car global all time (hatchback version)
Starting in 2018, the Toyota Corolla Hatchback was added as an offering. This version of the sedan appears to be shorter in length and slightly larger in width and height, with a more spacious trunk door.
#1 best selling car global all time (crossover version)
Starting in 2020, the Toyota Corolla Cross was added as an offering. This version of the Sedan significantly increases the overall car size and essentially turns it into a compact SUV.
These varied offerings of the Toyota Corolla gives us a good indication of automotive trends such as the popularization of hatchbacks and crossovers. The general trend appears to be that consumers want bigger cars and more trunk space as the 21st century develops.
Crossovers
“Crossovers Conquer America As Top SUV Sales Triple In A Decade”
(Oct 26, 2020)
SUVs and crossovers get lumped into the same category at times because they represent a growing demand for utility vehicles and have similar physical characteristics. Put simply, a crossover tend to be lighter and take advantage of existing car platforms, while SUVs tend to be heavier and use a truck type chassis.
Sport Utility Vehicles
Long before crossovers were popular, or able to be manufactured at scale, SUVs were the original utility vehicle. SUVs are considered utility vehicles because they offer more cabin space. This cabin space could be used for family, extra groceries/cargo, or just pure comfort/luxury. One important thing must be acknowledged, which is that all utility vehicles have a high riding height. This results in undesirable geometry for pedestrians as there are bigger blind spots, particularly in the front of the vehicle.
Luxury SUVs
Luxury car sales are growing aggressively and the same larger overall trend for beefier cars appears to apply. One must also consider how these large luxurious vehicles can often become a status symbol. We know that the suburbanite does not need a Range Rover or equivalent to reach the local grocery store.
#1 best selling car global all time (crossover version) vs popular luxury SUVs
As you can see luxury SUVs that are mid-range premium and above are larger than the “average” SUV. Range Rovers are alarmingly popular and you can see how gargantuan the car is next to a typical SUV.
Electric Crossovers
The trend of large vehicles is transferring into new EV sales. Electric vehicle adoption has reached a critical level, 5% market share, and we have a leading contender for the most popular EV.
The Model Y Crossover was the #1 selling car in Europe Q1 2023 and is the #1 selling electric car global all time. At its current sales growth rates it appears that this will remain the case.
Tesla leads the charge in electric car sales with the #1 & #3 best selling electric car global all time.
#1 best selling electric car vs #1 best selling SUV
The RAV4 is marketed as a compact SUV, but it is technically a crossover.
#1 best selling electric car vs #3 best selling electric car
The Model 3 Sedan is actually a crossover hatchback given its unibody construction and hatchback trunk. Marketing terms will label cars based on branding versus technicality.
#3 best selling electric car vs #1 best selling car global all time
If you liked these comparisons try the site out for yourself! Carsized.com
The Tesla Model 3 serves as a debatable long term replacement for a Toyota Corolla. Despite this, it appears the Model 3 is outsold by the Model Y, a more expensive car. This could be due to the high, but declining, cost of EVs driving only higher income customers to purchase them, hence the decision to spend the additional several grand for a compact SUV instead of a sedan is easily considered.
Car Safety Trends
One of the biggest reasons that people are attracted to bigger cars is likely safety. A basic physical analysis will tell you that a bigger object will experience less force upon impact. When you look at the average size car on the road today you may be persuaded to buy a crossover to minimize your chances of a fatal crash. This leads to a positive feedback cycle where drivers keep purchasing bigger and bigger cars leading others to do the same. However, we cannot blame all of this on consumers as there are other factors such as the increased presence of large work vehicles.
“Commercial vehicles reach record share of vehicles on road” (SMMT, May 31, 2022)
Overall, car safety has risen dramatically due to improvements in car engineering and standardized systems like seats belts, air bags, and ABS.
Safety Improvements
Cars have vastly improved since their inception. Structural systems such as air bags, seat belts, crumple zones, and side impact beams were not always standardized. In this video you see that the car from 1959 gets absolutely destroyed, while the 2009 car is relatively undamaged near the cabin.
There has also been improvements on the software side, which I will discuss in the following post on autonomous driving technologies!
Rollover Risk
While SUVs may be more durable or tough consumers need to be aware of other risks that come with a tall vehicle.
One benefit of electric vehicles is that their battery weight is concentrated at the bottom of the vehicle contributing to a lower center of gravity. This greatly reduces rollover risk, and is a part of the reason why Tesla cars have received perfect safety ratings.