That’s your non-Japanese upbringing not understanding Japanese culture.

Like this would ever happen again with any anonymous CUV turd every car has become. There’s not a car made anyone gives a shit about anymore, they’re all soulless appliances with big screens.

I absolutely love my Mazda3. It’s by no means perfect (no car is), but it manages to be incredibly fun to drive while also being just barely big enough to suit my needs. It’s also just a damn good looking car and a nice place to be.

Right? I was going to say, I sure miss the Fiesta, Golf, Fit, Focus, Mirage, etc.

Maybe not the immediate generation prior, but a Civic in 2000 was about the same size as a 2018 Honda Fit (164" vs 160"), and an Accord in 2000 (186") is about the same as the Civic today (184").

It was mainly consumers. The automakers saw the steady decline in sales of sedans/coupes, and the rise in sales of CUV/SUV’s 

“Yes”. Manufactures did a great job marketing larger vehicles that had a higher profit margin, and consumers bought them in such quantities that the profit margin for smaller cars narrowed to the point that they made little to no financial sense for some manufacturers to keep making them. So, both. 

I just want 90's sizes, I think. Like, I like the 80's- and 90's-size full size trucks, compact trucks too. I really miss my ‘84 S-10 and my ‘95 Yukon (not a truck, I know, but if I bought another GM from that era it would be a K1500). Same goes with cars. I really wouldn’t mind having another ‘82 Datsun 280ZX,…

Same. I just don’t enjoy driving large vehicles. I’ll take maneuverability and parking ease any day.

Did American consumers abandon sedans/smaller cars, or did American manufacturers do that?  

Some of us just want small cars. I always have. I always will. 

It doesn’t hurt that “small” cars aren’t that small anymore.

Merger of equals 2.0

The answer is always enshitification. Always.

It seems Honda is being forced by the Japanese government.

About american (car) sizes :

Despite “all of the cases and studies”, neither me or anybody close to me has received a “rigged red light camera ticket”.

Apparently, Tesla thinks it has a better chance of selling them to Canadians rather than Americans

In a perfect world, there wouldn’t even be a need for Police =)

Fair points, fully agree, as long as we have the caveat of “in a perfect system...”