By far Jeep wrote the book on Sport Utility Vehicles. Conceived as an automotive solution to armament and personnel transportation in the battlefields of WWII as a brand, it has been the vital ingredient of corporate automotive buys throughout these past few decades. Willys created it. It briefly saved Kaiser/Nash. It powerfully saved American Motors for a spell. Ditto Chrysler. Mercedes sought it. Fiat lusted it. Damn. Even Jeep wanted Jeep when former execs from Jeep actually tried to buy the brand back from Chrysler a few years ago when Fiat bought Chrysler.

And in a broad scenario virtually every car manufacturer on earth has developed some form of a “jeep” in the massive proliferation of SUVs and crossovers and truck 4X4s now dominating the automotive landscape. The impulse of being perceived as ready for any sort of off-road auto-sport maneuvering is so powerful that even the actual Jeep brand has numerous different versions of different SUVs and crossovers in a staggering variety of permutations.

These “sport” vehicles from Jaguar to Bentley on one extreme and Suzuki to Kia on the other have virtually devoured the once-dominant “sedan” market on the auto-choice menu. And it all happened in a basic demand-grab driven by consumers intent on having a sport option as their vehicle of choice. Also note that this spreading rash of sport utility vehicles is used mainly for basic transportation needs with few of them ever venturing off pavement and into the rough as deemed by the original mandate for the now classic (and still in existence!) Jeep.

So… quick… raise your hand: How many of you out there drive some version, big or small… luxurious or sparsed-out… of an SUV? Case closed.

So let’s “open” the case for Sport Eyewear as a specific and vital part of every optical dispensing shop. I firmly believe you simply cannot exist without it, and giving sport up to sport and sun specialty stores and department stores and online should be totally out of the equation. You are the expert here. You understand the tech of every aspect of these frames and lenses. You understand what the specifics are for both the sport of it and the style side as well. You get how to deliver a perfect fit, and when it comes to a proper Rx on these specs, it is all about how you build that SEENario of better vision.

You are the Sport Utility Vision expert. We’re pleased to present numerous viable options for you in this optical SUV role with this 20/20 Sport issue. So… gear up and get out there coach. Those consumers and patients are YOUR team.

• James J. Spina
Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]