There were CAFE regulations back in the mid 2000s that started changing things, and by 2020 made it harder to sell an ICE vehicle that didn't meet fuel economy standards.
Thus you ended up with more SUVs, and by 2020 you had some automakers (e.g. Ford) stop selling cars altogether in the US market.
"The light truck standard
was increased to 20.7 mpg in 1996, where it remained until
2005. NHTSA promulgated two sets of standards in the
mid-2000s for MYs 2005-2007 and MYs 2008-2011,
increasing the light truck standard to 24.0 mpg. In 2007,
Congress enacted the Energy Independence and Security
Act (P.L. 110-140), mandating a phase-in of higher CAFE
standards reaching 35 mpg by 2020. This was the last
legislation to set fuel economy goals"
Thus you ended up with more SUVs, and by 2020 you had some automakers (e.g. Ford) stop selling cars altogether in the US market.
Some references:
- https://youtu.be/mQDegCqiVnU? - a video by Vox covering the topic.
- https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10871/7
"The light truck standard was increased to 20.7 mpg in 1996, where it remained until 2005. NHTSA promulgated two sets of standards in the mid-2000s for MYs 2005-2007 and MYs 2008-2011, increasing the light truck standard to 24.0 mpg. In 2007, Congress enacted the Energy Independence and Security Act (P.L. 110-140), mandating a phase-in of higher CAFE standards reaching 35 mpg by 2020. This was the last legislation to set fuel economy goals"