# 3191m FDC - 2000 33c Celebrate the Century - 1990s: Sports Utility Vehicles

Issue Date: May 2, 2000
City: Monterey, CA
Quantity: 8,250,000
Printed By: Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd
Printing Method: Lithographed
Perforations: 11 ½
Color: Multicolored

 

Sport utility vehicles, like the Chevrolet Suburban, have been on the market since the 1960s. But this term for the automobile class wasn’t used until the 1990s, when the popularity of “SUVs” exploded.

 

Sales of sport utility vehicles increased 200 percent during the ‘90s, an accomplishment very few other automobile classes have achieved. Initially engineered for off-road driving and towing, SUVs are a modified light truck. But it wasn’t off-road drivers who made SUVs hot-sellers – it was families. Trucks like the Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Blazer, Nissan Pathfinder, and Jeep Cherokee became trendy family cars that could easily accommodate both children and pets. Similar to the minivan of the 1980s, SUVs appealed to those who needed plenty of room for passengers and cargo. They provided a clearer view of the road and comfortable car-like interior, with a rugged-appearing exterior.

 

SUV sales were estimated at nearly three million in 1998, with no signs of decreasing. There are approximately 40 different models on the market today. The huge consumer demand for SUVs has motivated companies like Porsche, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz, usually associated more closely with luxury cars, to manufacture their own sport utility vehicles.