It seems sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks officially have become the darlings of the automobile market, according to Scripps Howard News Service. Light trucks - including SUVs, vans and pickups - surpassed traditional passenger cars in sales last year for the first time ever. There were 8.7 million light trucks sold in 2001, compared to 8.4 million cars, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association(NADA). That milestone culminates the meteoric climb in the number of light trucks sold each year since the 1960s, as car sales have remained relatively flat. That's good news for automakers, who turn a much higher profit on SUVs than cars. However, if the trend reverses, it could cut into profits at the Big Three automakers. For now, though, auto dealers are flush with incentives for selling new trucks and SUVs, and dealership lots are packed with new models.