Excessive oil changes

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I've been trying to get to the bottom of this for a while now, I know very little about oil and the various grades etc, and as everything is so different in the US compared to the rest of the World, it's very difficult to compare.

I've been looking at modern engines and noticed the oil change intervals getting longer and longer and longer. This is to be expected with technological advances in both oil, and the refinement and additives found in fuel now. However I still hear stories around the web of people in the US changing their oil more than once a year, in fact, and it makes me shiver to say it, but even after 3000 miles!?

Most European manufactures now recommend a service/oil change every 2 years/24,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Some up to 30,000 miles, and the big trucks can do 60,000 on one oil change. Taken from VW's UK website:

" These engines use built-in sensors that continually monitor the oil quality, making it possible to enjoy reliable and confident motoring for up to a maximum of 18,000* miles or 24 months (whichever occurs first)."

Audi is the same, so is my Renault, but I can't figure out why the US change their oil so often? I appreciate almost everything in the US is pretty much controlled by oil, but the big companies wanting you to change your oil every 3k is just too obvious.

Is it to do with the oil types available in the US? Or is it to do with the amount of Sulphur in US fuel, which I've read is up to 1000% more than the fuel in the UK. Or is it just the refinement and additives in the two comparable fuels?

It kind of bugs me to think a two year old car here with 60,000 on the clock might have only needed 2 oil changes, whereas the same car in the US would have required 20 oil changes and used 10 times more oil. The US is constantly criticized for it's oil usage, but to me, there are obvious ways to cut back and this almost seems too obvious. To think each car could be using up to 1000% more in the US than each car in Europe is quite worrying.