There was an era of excess in transportation design & manufacturing. In this dark age, vehicles were foist upon an under-educated and self-centred populace with bloody results. Here is a look back at that desolate time:
http://www.gladwell.com/2004/2004_01_12_a_suv.html
Some memorable quotes:
Fred J. Schaafsma, a top engineer for General Motors, says, “Sport-utility owners tend to be more like ‘I wonder how people view me,’ and are more willing to trade off flexibility or functionality to get that. " According to Bradsher, internal industry market research concluded that S.U.V.s tend to be bought by people who are insecure, vain, self-centered, and self-absorbed, who are frequently nervous about their marriages, and who lack confidence in their driving skills.
" Jettas are safe because they make their drivers feel unsafe. S.U.V.s are unsafe because they make their drivers feel safe.
That feeling of safety isn’t the solution; it’s the problem.”
The allegation against Firestone amounts to the claim that its tires failed, with fatal results, two hundred and seventy-one times in the course of six hundred and thirty billion vehicle miles. Manufacturers usually win prizes for failure rates that low. Yet, out of all [the fatalities that happen on US roads], regulators, the legal profession, Congress, and the media chose to highlight the .0005 per cent that could be linked to an alleged defect in the vehicle.