As 2002 comes to a close, it looks like consumers have decisively opted for sport utility vehicles, helping push light-truck sales past cars by a healthy margin of 200,000 vehicles, according to USA Today. This year will be the second that light trucks — SUVs, pickups and minivans — have outsold cars. And the gap is growing. Sales of SUVs began exploding in the early '90s. Today, they account for one of every four autos sold. December auto sales are expected to be up 7 percent to 8 percent from a year ago, mainly fueled by generous incentives and rebates. The continuing appetite for SUVs puts pressure on automakers to develop new models. For consumers, it means an expanded choice of SUVs — even renowned sports-car maker Porsche will sell an SUV in 2003 — but a more limited selection of car models.