Acing the crash tests? A 5 to 10mph crash will cause hundreds if not thousands of dollars in damage, versus older cars that barely get a scratch. They might pass the crash test but you have a squished compressed front end.
Long ago when young, was riding with my friend in his 1959 Olds coupe when he spun out taking a right turn too fast (he was a maniac driver). The car slid sideways and slammed into a telephone pole. He cranked the steering wheel and backed away from the pole. We were amazed to see no damage to the door other than scraped paint. Built like a tank, that '59 Olds. Try that in a modern lightweight car and it's totaled.
I think they also want to make cars less affordable.
Similar story. I had a 1976 green Volvo 240 4 door. I called it the tank. These were the Volvos with the 2.4 liter four cylinder engine that would go 400,000 miles. I slid into my driveway one winters night and bounced it off of 3 maple trees. I had to replace the 1/2” chrome strip that ran horizontally down one of the doors. No other damage to it.
Another story. My parents had an International Harvester Travelall. It was the original SUV. The bought it back in the early 1970’s to pull a travel trailer. My oldest brother rolled it(360 degrees)with two of his buddies in it.
He drove it home. It had superficial minor damage. None of them got hurt other than a couple bruises.