I use the term “ car bloat ” to describe the confluence of two trends that have transformed the U.S. automotive market. First, SUVs and pickups have supplanted standard sedans and station wagons, both ...

The Cadillac 500 V8 arrived at the height of America’s big‑car era, yet even in that context it was an outlier, a powerplant so outsized that it still sounds like a misprint. It was not just large in ...

A long line of cars. Car manufacturers keep making bigger cars, and Americans keep buying them. Last year, trucks and SUVs made up 80% of all new car sales, compared to 52% in 2011. Some consumers say ...

Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. The American origins of car bloat go back ...