As someone from the US, they're mostly not appropriate here either. They rarely get used for anything except driving to/from work. They are more like massive uneconomical vans with four luxury seats rather than work trucks (again, when they nearly always have a driver and no passengers).

That being said, my fiancé lives in the Philippines (Specifically in Manila, the most densely populated city on the planet), and every time I visit it's clear the same stupid oversized trucks are everywhere and I doubt anywhere in the EU will be different.

Just like requiring seatbelts to be a rule, you need to put rules in place so the idiots don't destroy everything, that's pretty much advanced modern society.

They probably figured that they can sell trucks but nobody is obligated to buy them. The taxes are on weight and prices for fuel are not compatible with gas guzzlers. The really heavy ones need a different driving license. Also in places the tax exemption for cargo didn't work anymore.

these vehicles arent appropriate anywhere. the EU caved because it's not sovereign, it does as it's told.

EU works for lobbies. Not Europeans.