Ford Motor Company made a dramatic announcement this past week: They’re phasing out production of all but two of their passenger cars. They’re not alone. Other auto manufacturers have revealed they, too, will make fewer passenger cars. Why? North Americans don’t want them. Ford plans to keep only its popular Mustang, as well as a newly redesigned crossover, the Focus Active. Other than these two, they’ll concentrate on crossovers, SUVs  (Sport Utility  Vehicles) and trucks because they say that’s what customers want. Ford claims that half of its market here is the Ford Escape, and, when they add pick-ups and lighter trucks and vans, their sales percentage jumps to 65 percent. Ford plans to add five new SUVs to its line-up in the next few years, and highlight their once popular mid-size Ranger trucks.

If you spend much time on the road, you have to understand where car manufacturers are coming from. The next time you’re behind the wheel, take your own survey. See how many of the relatively newer vehicles are SUVs, crossovers, or trucks.

We get why they’re so popular. It’s easier to throw groceries, merchandise, trash bags, travel bags, etc. in the back than it is to pop the trunk open. You can also access items from the back seat without getting out of the vehicle. Oh, and did we mention it’s a great spot for the dog?

In our opinion, a down side to today’s SUVs, trucks, and also passenger cars, is the transition to bucket seats rather than a straight seat in front. The loss of seating had a greater impact than we’re sure car manufacturers imagined. It did cause some families to convert to a SUV vehicle with a third-row seat.

While trucks continue to be in great demand for many working men and women, there is an entirely new market being captured by the light truck models. They’re low to the ground, comfortable, and both drive and ride like a car. In fact, nearly all of the new trucks today are equipped with all the bells and whistles of a passenger car, with some luxury models just as well equipped as the most expensive passenger car.

We’ll likely be seeing many new models being offered by all of the auto manufacturers in the next few years, but those who still prefer passenger cars may find limited offerings, although with all of the options in the world today, we can surely find a make and model to suit our own tastes and needs. Now if only someone would come along and offer to pay for it, we’d all be happy.