Ford Motor Co. announced it’s going to stop making cars for the North American market, save the Mustang and Focus Active. The automaker plans to phase out five of its cars to focus on SUVs, trucks and crossovers. Dan Neil writes about cars for the Wall Street Journal. He talked with Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal about why American automakers like Ford are betting big on big vehicles. Neil says it’s all about profit. SUVs and trucks have higher margins than sedans and hatchbacks. “You know, carmakers always say they build what people want. But they never mention the fact that they spend billions to tell them what they want. It wasn’t just that consumers spontaneously desired a truck that was as big as a house. No, that was a gradual process. And it has been pushed by the automakers primarily because bigger equals more profit.”

Click the audio player above to hear the full interview.