“I don’t think it’s really taking awaymarket,” Anderson said. “I think it’s giving people that never really gave that segment of vehicle a chance an opportunity to buy something that they want.”
So, for now at least, an equilibrium appears to have been found. The question now is how much larger can the segment grow? “The interesting thing about it will be if anybody else decides to join in,” Stephanie Brinley, S&P Global Mobility analyst, said. “We’re not necessarily saying we’ve got a ton of growth opportunity in that space,Volkswagen has already expressed an interest in seeing how large that pie can be. The automaker has made official its interest in producing an off-road-focused SUV
. It will be interesting to see, though, if the market can handle all three models or if history will repeat itself.