There are cultural and legal reasons. One legal reason is fuel economy regulations (CAFE standards) encourage car makers to make their cars large enough to be

There are cultural and legal reasons. One legal reason is fuel economy regulations (CAFE standards) encourage car makers to make their cars large enough to be classified as "light trucks", leading to less stringent fuel economy standards. A larger footprint also reduces the fuel economy standard, incentivizing larger vehicles. See: https://www.thedrive.com/news/small-cars-are-getting-huge-are-fuel-economy-regulations-to-blame https://www.thedrive.com/news/small-cars-are-getting-huge-ar...