I don’t understand why Toyota abandoned their small pick-ups, pre-1994. I was able to get 25mpg out of my ‘92 4x4 if I drove it right.
Probably some regulatory/safety standard made them illegal,
or at least not economically feasible in meeting that standard.
Toyota is in business to make money;there is more profit in larger vehicles.
Study the history of cars and light trucks in the U.S. and you will find many examples of economical transportation that were turned into bloated gashogs withins a few model years.
Salesmen make more by selling you a big luxury model rather than an economy model.The entire system works to convince the customer/consumer to buy the car/tv/computer/home/boat that will benefit the people selling the item the most,NOT the item best suited for the customer.
I am not arguing for the limitation of choices but what always has happened is the incessant and effective sales pitches using sex,status,and “don’t you want your family to have the best” ,and even “you DESERVE this because you work so hard...” results in most buyers burdening themselves with stuff they can hardly enjoy because of the financial strain.
Liquid hydrocarbon fuels have huge advantages in energy density and ease of storage that make them sensible for mobile use.