Many people got suvs for the same reason many got vans in the 70s and 80s. Your well off and you want to splurge on a car. You could get a muscle car. You could get a sports car. You could get a luxury car.

They got suvs. Basicaly a luxury truck.

Now just as a caddy is big for a reason an suv is big for a reason. Roomyness is vital in a luxury car. Power is too.

Now here is a little question... You complain about suvs that may or may not be driven all that much but you dont complain about personal aircrafts that pollute far more and use more fuel... You dont complain about 3 engine sport boats that get about .3 miles per gallon and have NO pollution controls at all. You dont complain about snowmobiles and skydrivers and and and and...

I still remember the moron who complained about the suv culture and he had been ging up and down the cal coast in a freaking helicopter for years!

I don't mind ppl driving SUVs, its their choice, but there are such legislation that makes virtually impossible for new players to enter this market, with EV for that matter too.
All this of course is hidden under mantra of 'Caring for consumers safety', though in fact it protects big automakers from smaller players entering this market. There are numerious cases of ordinary ppl converting their cars to EVs, I simply refuse to believe that removing ICE with all its components from Prius and add more powerfull motor and batteries would make it unreasonably expensive. If carbon taxes existed then it would make ICE vehicles more costly and greener vehicles cheaper. All it comes to being implemented on gvmt levels. So far not happening under present oil populated gvmnt.

So far only Mitsubishi and Subaru are talking about EVs. I as a consumer want an EV choice and I believe this choice is better then SUV one, but legislation on many levels is done the way that it doesn't encourage potential EV makers to risk their capital. It is gvmt direct responsibility to encourage
those investors to try out producing greener vehicles.
But apparently carmakers have an example of how tobacco industry was demosished so they looks like don't want this carbon talk at all, as it will open eyes of ordinary ppl more than they want. Which in short is:
U drive ICE car and pay me and its OK that afterwords u go to public healthcare insitution cause we(oil papas)
are not responsible that ppl get astmas and so on and
its OK that we send oir soldiers to fight 'terrorism'-
ala possibility to increase our profits at public expence. Of course its easier to show to crowd on TV more powerfull SUV and how good it is, than make ppl feel guilty connecting lines between driving their SUVs and unfortunate mothers who sent their boys to fight for oil.
Looks like public awareness in Japan is higher then in US which partially is due to their lack of resources
geographical position on the globe. Another card is China with its centralized power, these are hopefull sources of new things to come, not America with its
current gvrmnt.
When crisis hits it will hit harder if we wait longer.

This week I've made more trips by bicycle than by Prius ... but the problem with SUVs (short for the legislative category encompassing "light trucks') is that they are the reason we are not more ready for today's fuel prices (be they from peak oil or hurricanes).

Without them we'd be on the CAFE curve. With them, we might as well discard CAFE as worthless.

And when you really think about it, without CAFE many of those SUV drivers would be in old-style Delta 88s and Chevrolet Impalas - and alive because they didn't roll over.

I think the clods (GM's executive suite truly deserves derision like few other groups of people) at the top of GM do get that big truck/SUVs are not a good thing right now, but because of their poor planning and lack of vision, its the only game they've been putting money into. These behemonths were mostly done ($$$ wise) when gas started rising and there is no point in not bringing them out, why your seeing them now.

As far as why, (the executive weenies) bet the farm on things like this, it costs almost as much to develop a small car/engine as one of these behemonths, (until a year ago) people wanted to buy the behemonths (not small cars) and GM made alot more money per behemonth sold than small cars. Total MBA decision...just invest in behemonths...not small car technology. Now of course they are in big trouble, as they should be.

I feel sorry for their employees though - they'll pay (and have been paying) for the total ineptitude of their executives over the past decades and have their lives ruined. The executive weenies of course will get golden parachutes and bonuses for what a good job they've done.

TO ALL OF YOU SUV BASHERS, PlEASE SHUT UP!! I had many little cars and was almost killed when someone ran a red light. I don't like the gas prices but if I was in my Yukon in the same crash, I would not be hurt. My reasons is to keep me and my family safe and my two German Shepards off our laps. I need the size and will trade when the Hybrids suvs come out. Thanks for buying American!!

Good Job GM
5.3L engine is most likely too much for your avg.
tree hugger but remember the true American man (non-gay)
WE need the 6.2L or 8.1L engine NOW!

Thanks Ben
We are with you.
Buy American big blocks

YO,
Santana Moss down the middle
Keeping it real with the Redskins.
I got a new chrysler 300M Hemi,(just the old 300M but, the grills reversed) and its black on black.I got a gold license plate that say "I am a pimp". Any ladies what to holler hit me up.

I have to say that as a wealthy Jordanian-American, suv's have been in my family for many years. My great grandfather rode a camel to work and now that the years have been good to my family, we encourage all americans (go Yankees) to drive a sports utility vehicle. All three of my Hummers run fantastic on 93 octane and everyone on the road sees me coming. I say,"crap on the little Japanese rice burning cars"!! And to all the tree hugging fascist-pigs, screw you!!

I LOVE AMERICA!!

I am not too impressed with Mr. Khoury's comment. I am what you call a "tree hugging facist pig". I am very big into trying to protect our community and the world as a whole. It is not for us, but our children. Mr. Khoury, if you and your family are so wealthy, then place your money where your mouth is. Help us keep our environment safe by making a monetary contribution.

I absolutely dont have a problem with sharing our nation with foreignors, I just ask that if you live here, help keep it clean....

I urge all who agrees with me to please post your comment about Mr. Khoury and others like him..

Growing up where trees were the only means of transportation, I can appreciate the american auto mobile/Suv. My village in Viatnam was in charge of harvesting the rice patties, and carrying the sacks. Jumping from tree to tree was tough, especially with sacks of rice on your back.The monsoon season, lets not even talk about that. Monkeys were slapping me around, and trying to take my patties. Thank you America for giving me the oppertunity to slap those monkeys back and even spank them too. Driving my full size chevy Surburban lets me take on the world and go look to pay back some monkey!!!!!!

Housewives drive the big trucks and SUV;s, because it has been a trend the past few years. Its like having to go through life without a Louie Viton purse. You just cant be left out of a trend if something is fashonable etc.. I rember a few of my friends moms making comments about us wanting a large truck 9+ years ago when we were younger and saying "trucks are for people who work with their hands" A few years later, guess who went out and bought their SUV, as soon as it became a big trendy and commonplace for houswives to drive them.

what are you people talking about? dont just look at the size of the engine. the old gm 5.3L got about 17 mpg in the tahoe. the new one gets 20mpg.whats more it also makes more power. wouldt you say thats a pretty good increase in efficiency??? more power and better mileage. i bet the new 6.2L gets the same or more mpg than the old 5.3L.

I saw a lot's of negative comments ref GM & Ford w/ref to SUV and Mpg # but none on the supper inefficient Toyota Tacoma 17city-21hwy nor the abysmal Tundra nor the supper inefficient Sequoia all these trucks req 93 oct fuel...my point is that if you are single then please do drive a Prius but I have 3 kids and no way I will put my family in a coffin like the Prius. Friend of mine has a Prius and twice the car stalled in the freeway with no power..recalls issues. Also they are too expensive for such a small car that does not give 60 mpg but rather a 38-40 mpg Houston, TX. Our family car is a Ford Excursion 4wd Turbo Diesel, 14-17 city 19-22 hwy. I could carry 9 people and a Travel trailer, our first long trip we drove from Houston to Banff Canada... drive that on a Prius... if you drive a Prius and you get into an accident how safe are you.

I think that the problem is with Exxon, Shell, BP & Texaco there's no competition the goverment should nationalize the refineries because we do have plenty of supply but the capacity of refining is controlled by them...

Another attempt of a domestic automaker to 'ram something down our throats' that we dont want anymore.

They claim that american consumers want 'more power'. Back in the 80s, when you had 4 cylinder Ford Taurus's, yes we wanted more power. I dont remember everyone continuing to scream for more power as we accelerated out of the 1990s into the 2000's.

All this new technology would have been better put to use giving us a smaller, more advanced, more fuel efficient engine that made enough HP to commute. Why do SUV's need drag-race capability?

Seriously, what does a soccer mom need with a 300+ HP SUV? More importantly, whats going to happen when their 16 year old daughter/son gets to drive that 300+ HP SUV. Do you want it crashing thru your living room wall? I think not.

Priorities have gotten way out of whack for the american automakers. They are not giving us what we want and they will lose market share. They dont think the small car market is profitable. Ok, then we will just go to Honda/Toyota/Nissan and get the cars we want from them.

Keep the high HP V8-and-beyond niche markets there for stuff like the weekend-racer Corvette and heavy haulers. People like to race or may depend on hauling stuff. But to try to ram another SUV down every family guy's throat when more fuel efficient options exist? Especially in this time and age. Give me a break.

All the talk about why housewives need SUVs is driving me crazy. I am a housewife and we have six kids. Yes, we have six, all by choice. We can afford them and the gas that our Suburban consumes. What the heck else should I drive? A mini van? That used to work when the kids were little but they have no cargo room, not even enough for groceries and the kids' backpacks. I now drive an 8 passenger Suburban and in this car I can CARPOOL my kids to school and activities. Surely you see the benefit are CARPOOLS! I am able to share a 15 mile drive twice a day with three families. (to our middle school while another Mom WALKS the younger kids to the elementary school 2 miles away)I am guessing my one new 2007 Suburban is better than even 4 little hybrids making the drive at the same time. (as far as pollution and gasoline consumption are concerned anyway)

GM makes these SUVs because, contrary to what most of you think, there is still a market for them. I know many Moms that drive SUVs of course, but not a single one has fewer than three kids. If you have three kids, especially if you need carseats, you need an SUV with a third row. With all the required cargo Moms haul (strollers, sports gear, other kids) we need the room!

Honestly, I think the one mistake Suburban made in the redesign was NOT catering enough to the Moms of the world. LOL They still have a horrible set up on the Child LATCH placement and the seats don't fold flat. I own one because I need one. I would love a hybrid as shockingly, I am a bit of a tree hugger myself... But come on, there are A LOT of people that need trucks and large SUVs. Some for family, some to tow, some for work, whatever. This is America.... leave my freaking SUV alone!

I really see your guys point, why do you need a V-8 or for that matter a V-6 hell even a four cylinder now a days can be a gas guzzler, we need to get toyota v-2, man I really love giving money to people who bombed American soil almost 60 years ago, still it's understandable from the word go, I realized two things, a all of you guys are located in San Fransico, California, and b, you all had an experimental castration surgery, and you "wives" wear the strap-on in the relationship. Guys you need to get a grip, here we have a serious effort from an American company to better buisness, and yet you shun it, and buy forgien, what great Americans you all are, or limies or whatever crappy country some of you are from.

Tree huggers!!!

No real American would want a car with no power! High performance motor is for towing and carring stuff or blowing by you on the highway when you refuse to yeild to faster traffic, which you will not be doing with your sissy-fied hybrids.

SUV OR PRIUS, EITHER WAY BUY A BICYCLE AND USE IT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, DEMAND BIKE LANES AND THAT WILL SOLVE MANY PROBLEMS WITH SOME OF THE OLDEST TECHNOLOGY A SIMPLE BICYCLE.