And gasoline is relatively affordable here in the USA -- only about $2.80 USD/gallon. Diesel costs about 0.10 more.

I see a majority of large passenger vehicles every day. Even Nissan no longer sells a "small" truck here -- all the trucks are now "mid-size". And we have no small cars here, the smallest being "niche" cars like the Miata and the Mini. A few people are buying hybrids, but they still use a gallon of gas every 30-70 miles. I hear so many people saying they can't wait until they can afford a luxury seven-passenger SUV.