If, let's say, a typical $30k car means a large EV SUV with all the luxury gadgets and conveniences, plus fridge, massage chair, full camping setup, etc. Would 30k car buyers not expect those things?
Or a small hatchback, e.g. a Fit, Golf, Matrix, Yaris, etc. They might not be the most attractive looking vehicles but darn if they aren’t practical. Better cargo space than much longer sedans while being short enough to park almost anywhere.
It’s so disappointing that they’ve disappeared from the US market almost entirely.
So in practice what happens if that if you have a family and can easily afford an SUV, you get the SUV to alleviate these painpoints,
My point is that any degree of "thing" can be enough if you accept its implications. So for example when you go on your family vacation, you make choices about what to take and what to leave. If your two year old daughter asks last minute if she can bring her scooter (and helmet), the answer might be "sorry honey no room" whereas with a larger car you could say "sure, toss it in." Or the grownup version of that, I tossed in my inflatable paddle-board, paddle, lifejackets and pump as a last minute decision for our last vacation "just in case" we want to get on the water before the kayak rental place opens up (ended up using it.) Again, the paddle-board or scooter are totally non essential - if I had a smaller car I wouldn't even consider bringing them at all and that would be totally fine, but it's nice that I can.
BTW, we got our SUV when our 1st kid was born, it was a larger car than I thought we needed but was still kinda helpful. By now we have 3 kids and the fact that "how are we gonna fit them and their stuff" isn't one of the many things we have to deal with as parents is very nice.
Again, if I couldn't afford it or was very anti-big-car, I'd find a way to make do with a smaller vehicle but it's nice to make the other choice and that's why many many many people do.
I'm lucky to live somewhere where we still get tiny, cheap, practical cars https://kalleboo.com/linked/suzuki_spacia.jpg
I live off a dirt road, and if my minivan breaks, I'm not going to buy an SUV, I'm going to buy another minivan, but I will buy an AWD model instead of FWD like my current model.
I got out of car culture around 25 years ago, and every time I ride someplace in a modern car I'm just bewildered by all the bullshit. Do grown adults really need to be "pampered" with heated seats? How can you stand carrying around those "fobs" in your pockets — they make jeans look ridiculous, like a person is packing two sets of their junk.
I can't imagine buying a car built after 1990.