Popularity of crossovers leaves SUVs in dust

0 Comments | USA TODAY, December, 2005 | by James R. Healey and Jayne O'Donnell

Buyers are shifting rapidly from traditional SUVs to more comfortable and more fuel-efficient crossover models.

The transition had been inching along for several years but has turned into a stampede.

Crossovers, adaptations of car or minivan underpinnings, outsold traditional, truck-based SUVs the past three months and should do so routinely and permanently beginning next year, according to data and projections from Ford Motor.

"That's the biggest change in the truck segment, and that's not about to go away," says Mike Jackson, CEO of dealership chain AutoNation. "Gas prices have sort of taken the 'cool factor' off the super-large" SUVs.

Through November, sales of truck-based SUVs, such as Ford Explorer and Toyota Sequoia, are down 13.5%, while sales...