This I how I see trucks transporting bikes where I live. I’m guessing Hyundai planned for this usage.

30K a year isn’t bad when it shares the Odyssey / Pilot / Passport platform and is built on the same flexible assembly line. It wouldn’t make sense as a stand-alone vehicles

“And what about the other 1000 times you would rather have covered cargo space?”

Yes, Home Depot sells mulch and potting soil in bags and just about every time I go and get some one of the bags leaks or the potted plant falls over and I’m vacuuming out the back of my VW Sportwagen.

Or wet fishing waders covered with brined fish eggs.

You described exactly what this is for.   It does everything a crossover will do but keeps the dirty and stinky stuff separate from the people.    It takes up the same space as a crossover in the garage and gets 50% better fuel economy than a body-on-frame truck while riding much better.

The Honda Accord has been getting relentlessly better and cheaper (adjusted for inflation)

A Level 4 system is fully self driving and if it encounters a problem can move itself safely off the road. However, it is geographically limited to allowed roads. (Could be as limited as one section of interstate)

Screen grab from a Lordstown video posted in Feb 2021.

According to Kia the EV6 GT is 184.9 inches long and 60.8 inches tall

No doubt it is sacrificing cargo room for the current stupid styling trend.

EV6 wheelbase = 114.2

I’ve found the sweet spot is to buy a 3 year old car off lease with 30 - 40K miles and then keep it until it is 10 years old.

I was surprised the data was looking at used cars that were only 1 year old. Of course they haven’t depreciated a lot - especially if you only list the 10 that depreciate the least.

It is 4 inches longer and only 1 inch taller than my VW Sportwagen.

The Bronco Sports exists to grab a bigger slice of the midsize CUV market. When Ford only had the Escape they had to try to come up with some compromise design to attract a wide market. By splitting the segment into the Escape and Bronco Sport they can make vehicles target at both ends of the segment. Those that want…

Some do but not many.  Owner / Operators make up 9% of the truck fleet in the USA.

Do you think the average truck driver is going to fight a hijacker for their load?  They don’t own the truck or the freight.

1. You are looking at the new EPA ratings that have been adjusted down from the original window sticker

It isn’t a lot when you look at a individual truck model’s sales.   The Ranger sells 100,000 a year.    Adding two very expensive body styles just to pick up a few more sales doesn’t make sense.  Especially when those new body styles would be the cheapest and lowest margin versions of the truck.