They sell anything people will buy. The government won't allow those cheap vehicles because they don't have 500 airbags, backup camera, crumple zones, side impact beams, braking assist, and the list goes on. They also generally use simpler powerplants that wouldn't pass 1st world emissions regulations. The compact cars we do get are about as cheap as they can be and still meet regulations. They have to sell enough of them to bring down their CAFE numbers on the larger cars they do make a profit on.
That's not the whole story though. It's the same thing we see with airplanes.... nobody buys the base model cirrus. We are (collectively, not individually) so rich and so spoiled in this country that there isn't enough demand for simple cars. Luxury, or at least the illusion of it, sells.
You used to be able to buy a Chevy w/t pickup. They had no options and were among the cheapest vehicles you could buy. I don't think they even sell a model like that anymore. I do see fleet pickups that are pretty basic, so it might be possible to buy something like that from a fleet leasing company, although they may not want to deal with a single buyer either. My '97 is still doing what I need it to, although with 170k on the clock I may be in the market before long. The electrical system is starting to noticeably break down. I no longer have power locks or a radio, and the dash flakes out at times. What do you suppose today's pickups will look like in 25 years?
