I think it's wrong to discount the strong cultural element to the ownership of pickup trucks in the US. Listen to a bit of country music and count the name-drops of pickup truck models, or drive down the road and count the lifted pickups -- there's more than just "utility and affordability" going on here.
A family member is starting the search for a new vehicle and is expressing interest in pick ups. It was surprising at first to me since he hasn't owned a truck in 20+ years, but then I was over while he had his country music on (he started listening to it almost exclusively the last few years) and I noticed how much they talk about trucks and it kind of clicked for me.
