My own source says there is a lot of struggling in Europe right now, not just with Ford.

They do, but pickups sell better. You are arguing for vehicles that sell worse so I though that worth noting.

Yes. The Civic was the only car to make the top ten list here. Could a North American made analogue do so? Seems highly unlikely today. I'm too lazy to check when one last did. I expect it has been a long, long time.

Selling cars here is a money loser right now, that is why they don't do it. Maintaining unprofitable portfolios is certainly not free of risk in its own right, and it makes no sense to pivot for a blip. People buy less vehicles overall in a recession, not just large ones. You seem to think somehow a recession would create permanent market change, but it is just a wave. If we have another recession it may effect buying habits for a year or two and then things will go back to normal. Just like every time before.

Anyway appreciate the polite debate. Have a great day!

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Blocking fsdn with Noscript makes it go away but has other effects on functionailty.

I use Ford as an example but GM and Stellantis (who own Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, and Vauxhall) are also global companies. Ford is also investing in Europe, but the market there is volatile for everyone, not just them. https://www.freep.com/story/mo...

Yeah I had an X5 as a loaner when my car was in for service a while back. It is very nice but definitely massive. But it is also not a pickup, and those are still the top sellers here.

I'm sure they could relatively easily bring their small European models to NA if there was a big enough market. I'm expect they have run the numbers and decided not to.

It would be exactly the same risk. They actually still sold small cars here in 2008 and it apparently did not help. Any increase in small car sales after 2008 was short lived, the economy recovered, and people went back to what they liked. Not sure why this is a problem.

North American car companies primary market.

Sure. Foreign car companies are also forgoing major profits by giving up on the North American truck market (except for Toyota, who everyone here loves to hate on but know exactly what they are doing).

That didn't last.

They build what people want. In Europe they sell different models from what they sell in the US. This is how it should be, tailoring your lineup to your market. They have plenty of eggs. Which eggs people want varies from place to place,

https://media.ford.com/content...

OK, well not my place to judge other people's mental issues or coping strategies, so long as they are not a hazard to others. Hopefully they at least know slow traffic is supposed to keep right.

There are plenty of cars available. From Civics and Corollas to compact and full size BMWs and Benzes. Did I mention only one car made the top ten in Canada? That is not some nefarious brainwashing plot, they are available and people don't want them. That people don't like the same things you do is not a defect. If you look at the history of North American cars, they have always been big. I think they peaked in the 60s or 70s, but my dad's 90's Oldmobile 98 was not small, nor was the neighbor's Town Car. Trucks and SUVs are simply the modern evolution of this. Big, spacious, luxurious, and much more capable than those big sedans. Compact cars have always been a niche here. That is just reality.

And?

Or not buying them. Did I mention only one car made the Canadian top ten list?

An apartment where you can't smoke or grill sounds a bit like shit to begin with.

Better driver training and testing seems the obvious and common sense solution. That would be discriminatory against incompetent people though, so don't hold your breath.

That is the problem with the world today. There is no more "live and let live", everybody wants to run everyone else's life, and that is true of both the left and right. I have no use for any of them.

And indeed you can still buy them here, but the majority of vehicles on the road are nonetheless trucks and SUVs. Did I mention only one car (the Civic) made the top ten?

I'm not very acquainted with this fear of driving set. People who are afraid to drive probably shouldn't. Like at all. My equal and opposite anecdote is that nobody I know who owns a truck or SUV (and I know a lot) wishes they had bought a car, with the exception of a handful who wish they could buy station wagons (but not ordinary wagons - more like M340i Tourings or S6 Avants - these people are not afraid of driving).

It may not explain it to you. That is a specific rather than a general problem.

Because nobody bought them when they did.

Here in Canada full size pickups from Ford, GM, and Ram are the 1st, 3rd and 4th best selling vehicles. 2nd is Toyota RAV4. Only one car made the top ten.

https://www.brockfordsales.com...

The suggestion by many here that people are somehow involuntarily coerced into buying these trucks is ludicrous. It is not a conspiracy. People buy them because they are nice and capable conveyances and they can afford them. Manufacturers make them because people like buying them.

More people need to spend more time trying to enjoy their own lives instead of obsessing over what other people are doing.

If you are around in 2040 you will still be complaining about continued fossil fuel use and that nuclear takes too long.

A poorly informed population is not a feature. Copyright is the least of your worries.