About 10 years ago, I worked as a reporter for a business newspaper. There was a marketing guru named Faith Popcorn who predicted a trend known as "cocooning." (As an aside, I can't believe Faith Popcorn is her real name. Since she is a marketing expert, it appears she picked a name that is eminently memorable. I say that because I have a terrible memory for names and I can remember hers.)
Anyway, cocooning was the trend towards people locking themselves down in their homes and becoming less involved in the world around them. With the advent of high speed internet access and digital cable, there has become even less reason for people to travel outside their homes. Just visit a Home Depot on the weekend and you'll see the white suburban male buying stuff to make his fortress even more impenetrable. It looks like a scene from a disaster movie where characters are preparing for an assault from a killer tornado or an armada of aliens.
I bring this up because I went car shopping today. Probably 3/4 of the vehicles for sale were SUVs. I think it's an extension of the cocooning theory. People want to feel safe in their vehicle, while keeping as much distance between themselves and their fellow citizens.
Hence, the rolling home known as the SUV.