Is there a greater contradiction than car manufacturers desperately trying to maximise profits during the chip crisis by prioritising high-end SUV sales yet aiming to avoid CO2 emissions-related fines by selling as many electrified vehicles as possible?
How much profit varies from vehicle to vehicle but one glimpse as to just how much margin can be in an SUV came when Jaguar Land Rover revealed it had received £68,000 per car sold in the final quarter of last year after an extreme focus on producing Range Rover-badged cars. (Even then, it made a £9 million loss in the same period.)
But SUVs are, of course, inherently heavier and less aerodynamic, yet no more spacious, than their hatch equivalents. In turn, they’re less efficient and more polluting, be it from the tailpipe or in terms of the additional materials they require to manufacture.
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The demonisation of diesel has also played a part in rising CO2 from them; petrol economy on larger, heavier vehicles is exponentially worse.
