It’s worth reflecting back on how we got here w.r.t. automobiles in the US.
In a recent WSJ opinion piece, Long Live the EV: Now that the U.S. isn’t killing it with ‘help,’ the electric vehicle has a chance. (that link is a “gift article” that may get thru their paywall, but I think the gift expires after awhile) columnist Holman Jenkins[] mentions a bunch of policy driven points that are probably not well understood outside of policy-wonk circles. The main thrust of the column, about EVs, informs that whole mess…
Here are some pull-outs (in italics) and a bit of my commentary [in square brackets]
- The Big Three voluntarily ceded the sedan market and focused on pickups and large SUVs, which have been shielded from import competition by a 25% tariff since 1964—the only part of the U.S. car market to be so shielded.
[azbikelaw comment: yes, over SIXTY years ago! This is a.k.a. the chicken tax. And personal trucks, particularly large pickups/suvs are dramatically profitable for US manufacturers, see e.g. here] - … relatively low domestic gasoline price… economists and auto executives have said for 50 years that the U.S. government should adopt a gasoline tax if it wants to create incentives for high-mileage vehicles.
[so he says this, and it’s probable even true, but doesn’t acknowledge that no politician in the US will ever raise taxes] - Instead we got Rube Goldberg fuel-economy mandates. After the 2009 bailout, Team Obama tweaked the rules further to facilitate sales of profitable pickups
[mandates are the CAFE system, Corp Average Fuel Economy beginning in 1975 and tweaked innumerable times since]
Un-mentioned, but some other policy points:
Section 179 depreciation rules tax-favors large pickups/SUVs for business owners compared to a sedan. It has nothing to do with whether of not you “need” a heavy pickup/SUV in the business.
There are different (or in some cases, no) standards for pickups/suvs. For example cars have a NHTSA bumper height requirement in order to be sold in US. No requirement for pickups/suvs. p.s. an excellently thorough page from prestigecustomrides.com lays out in detail AZ state rules affecting “lifted” trucks. Noted there is the law that prohibits tires/wheels from sticking out — obviously this is yet another law, like too dark window tint, that is rarely or never enforced.
Large “American” pickups are virtually non-existent in the EU… where traffic safety is dramatically better than the US. American pickups cannot pass a variety of safety standards (most obviously pedestrian safety crash standards), and are only sold under IVA rules amounting to a few thousand a year in total:
The large pickups are imported under the EU’s Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) framework, which allows the sale of a limited number of models without having to go through the full homologation (type-approval) process.
About 7,000 such large pickups, such as the Ford F-150 or Ram 1500, were sold in Europe in 2024, according to the environmental lobbying group Transport & Environment. Transport & Environment and other advocacy groups have warned that allowing more large American pickups to be sold in Europe would increase risks for pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers, as well as allow automakers to skirt emissions rules. — autonews.com April 8, 2026
Although gas taxes are mentioned, it’s worth rubbing in: Fuel taxes are a joke and haven’t changed much in decades; general sales taxes or other general funds are being used to backfill for road construction projects.
Gas-guzzler tax since the late-1970s, seems like a good idea to encourage more energy efficient vehicle… oh wait, pickups/SUVs are exempted!
How CAFE Killed Compact Trucks And Station Wagons an article written in 2012 but has apparently been updated… the title says it all. The simple idea of a gov’t policy choice thru regulation that’s intended to increase vehicle’s fuel efficiency gets perverted. Back to Jenkin’s point in the op-ed — we’d have been (and would be!) be better off with no CAFE, and fuel taxes
Placeholder for (toxic) emissions, i.e. “air pollution”, of burning gas/diesel. Although auto manufacturers spent years denying smog, eventually in ~ 1970 US has instituted per-mile emission standards for new vehicles based on a bunch of factors, and there’s some sort of fleet average. IIRC light trucks got some sort of free pass for decades. And in very recent (early to mid-2026) times we have this and this whereby the Trump administration has promised not to criminally prosecute anyone for emissions tampering, which remains a federal crime under the Clean Air Act.
[] Holman Jenkins has written a recurring opinion column for many years and is a member of the WSJ’s editorial board.
So, why, oh why did the small pickup truck get removed from the market? Who’s idea was that and for crying out loud, WHY!?
The underlying truth of it is consumer preference and demand. This oversized pick-ups and SUVs are preferred for many reasons. That said, they are responsible for safety compromises, both personal an d environmental, that legislation could and should address. Vehicle design standards like maximum bumper heights and tire sizes, as well as pedestrian/cycle detection devices, are likely problematic from a legislative perspective. However, end user requirements, like enhanced driver licensing, fuel consumption taxes, and excise/registration fees targeting high gross vehicle weight rated vehicles, maybe even on a sliding scale, would help. Some or all of those funds could be earmarked for infrastructure improvements. I don’t mean the silly green-painted, too-narrow, bike lanes out there. I mean a real wholly separate infrastructure for bicycles and pedestrians. Think big and start demanding. Otherwise, nothing changes.
Bryan, check out “How CAFE Killed Compact Trucks And Station Wagons” I added a link to it above
David, I added a couple more policy points above, the truthaboutcars article “How CAFE Killed Compact Trucks And Station Wagons” is excellent, I want to talk more some day about (toxic) emissions, and I forgot to mention the gas cuz our tax when I wrote this up a couple days ago.
Thanks for the link to the Chicken Tax. In the early 1960s my grandparents owned an egg ranch in Eloy. He was always watching the price of chickens and every once in a while would sell half a barn full. Then he bought several thousand baby chicks for his grandchildren to chase.