If it seemed as if I was implying that auto consumers are a monolithic bloc with uniform taste, that must've come from the sarcasm. Reality is complicated, and the list of top-selling vehicles kind of illustrates that.

Large pickups have stood out in that list for decades, and it's reasonably explained by the market for "working" vehicles, that the majority of those pickups ended up on ranches and farms and construction sites. There's also the "automotive codpiece" market, the large pickup as a virility fetish, as seen in the surburbs, and that may account for some of the stubborn persistence of the category too. If people bought cars for rational reasons, there'd be no need for advertising (let alone dozens of models), just a 3-ring binder of spec sheets.

All in all, given the notorious irrationality of consumers, the list of popular vehicles conforms remarkably to common sense. In the end, my point about Atilla's position was simply that it flies in the face of common sense. You implied that you also thought that Liberal government regulation killed the car companies, but I'll assume that you have as little reason for saying so as Atilla. I understand about kneejerk rhetoric.