The sloping roofline is adopted to offer a styling advantage compared to its standard SUV counterpart,[1][2] which helps increase profit margins as manufacturers are able to raise the price by marketing it as a more premium model.
[4] The body style notably gained criticism as some see it as less attractive and less practical than normal crossovers, since the low roofline reduces cargo space and rear passenger headroom.
[7][8] The AMC Eagle SX/4, which was introduced in 1981, has also been argued to be the first coupe SUV, since it is a lifted two-door liftback with a permanent all-wheel drive system and was marketed as a car that is capable of light-duty off-roading.
[9] The second-generation Lexus RX and the 2003 Infiniti FX had introduced similar sloping roof design elements without being marketed as coupe SUVs.
[11] Several manufacturers began offering coupe crossovers from non-luxury segments, for example the Renault Arkana,[12] the Fiat Fastback,[13] and some China-only models such as the Mazda CX-4,[14] Volkswagen Tiguan X and Škoda Kodiaq GT.