There are only so many manufacturers of a given vehicle segment. If they all soft collude to stick with higher margin vehicles there's not much consumers can do about it. Car manufacturing isn't a liquid market where new entrants can quickly jump in and undercut the incumbents.

If minivans were popular, manufacturers would make and sell them. They're not colluding: if the minivans were really that popular, just one manufacturer would have to ignore them and build lots of minivans and take over the market.

The simple fact is that they just aren't very popular, and consumers (at least the ones who buy brand-new) really want SUVs and pretty much nothing else. Stop whining about the manufacturers, and look at your idiot neighbors who are all choosing these monstrosities. (Also look at your crappy elected government that gives highly preferential treatment to SUVs with their "regulation".) The manufacturers are just giving people what they want; anything else would be leaving money on the table and losing to their competition.

Also, to add to this: here in Japan, there's still lots of minivans. They're quite popular in more rural or suburban areas. SUVs aren't as popular as they are in America, probably because of their lack of real utility and terrible fuel economy and large size. (Yes, minivans are just as large, but they actually hold a lot of people or cargo.) So the manufacturers are happy to build them here because lots of people will buy them here, just not in the US. Also, we still have some models of station wagons here; those haven't been sold in America for many years now.

Haven’t seen this mentioned yet but “light trucks” are a classification that has more favorable regulations for automakers. SUVs and pickups qualify.

I’m not an expert on this but minivans as passenger vehicles could be less desirable for the automaker as they have more stringent safety and emission regulations that cut into their margins in those vehicles

>SUVs and pickups qualify.

Are we talking actual SUVs only (eg. Cadillac Escalades), or also the far more popular crossovers?

Most popular crossovers are also classified as light trucks under current federal rules.

Low inventory doesn't tell us much. If there are three on the lot and the manufacturer sent them last year, sales are slow. If there are three on the lot and twenty were dropped off today, sales are pretty brisk.

As a van person (grew up with an 1987 Aerostar, ordered a 2017 Pacifica in 2016 (sold to Carvana this year when I got engine trouble), bought an 1981 Vanagon recently that might move on its own power soon), the problem is Stow and Go is clearly awesome, but owning a Chrysler isn't. Having a hybrid would be nice for fuel efficiency, but Chrysler removes features in their hybrid (no power rear seats, no Stow and Go), Toyota doesn't even let you take the middle seats out in the Hybrid Sienna. Minivans that aren't flexible aren't really worth it IMHO. If Honda figured out how to fold the middle seats into the floor, I'd buy an Odyssey in minutes.

All the commercial small vans pulled out of the market too; I wanted to get a Ford Transit Connect, but they left, and the used market for them is weird: mostly 100k+ miles. Nissan NV left, Ram Promaster City; neither offered a passenger model. I think I left something out. Mercedes Metris is still in, I think, but it's very basic. I'd like something more on the basic end, but still with fold into the floor rear seats at least.

Metris owner here.

It’s out as of last year. What’s on the lot is all there is.

That said, if you are ok with basic it’s a really hard vehicle to beat. It’ll tow 5000, has a legitimately flat load floor, and can carry 2,200lbs if you take out the seats (without hitting GVWR). Fuel mileage is pretty good (20ish in town, 28ish on the highway).