I've still got a garage full of parts for my square body S10 that got squished by a 40,000lb oak tree. I'm trying to save up to buy another one now if other stuff would stop demanding money of me.

I honestly don't think it's corporate greed. GM would build and sell so many base S10s that they'd make their money. But they're getting spit roasted by government regulations on one side and outrageous legacy UAW costs on the other. Even the general shape of the car is mandated by government regulations on making it more survivable for pedestrians who get hit when they go wandering around in the street. Americans yearn for simple and inexpensive options, but it's the government preventing their import and manufacture here. So people buy side-by-sides and golf carts instead and then lobby their local governments to make them de facto street legal.

Meanwhile the Japanese manufacturers don't have to pay those labor costs and the Japanese government has traditionally paid for a lot of their R&D. Plus they built their industry on outright stolen tech--Toyota's reputation for reliable engines came from stealing designs from US and English manufacturers. Their first straight 6 was reverse engineered from the Chevy stove bolt six. The 4AGE is a reverse engineered Ford Cosworth BDA.