Polk Report: More than 200 Million Registered Vehicles in U.S.
7 July 1998
Nation's Registered Vehicle Total Eclipses 200 Million Polk Report Shows Truck Growth Continues to Flourish, Cars Remain Stable DETROIT, July 7 -- For the first time in history, the number
of vehicles registered in the United States has surpassed 200 million,
according to a vehicles in operation (VIO) report released today by The Polk
Company.
Of the 201,070,397 million registered vehicles, 124,672,920 are passenger
cars and 76,397,477 are trucks (gross vehicle weight classifications 1-8).
Eliminating medium and heavy trucks, there are 193,091,085 cars and light
trucks (pickup trucks, sport-utility vehicles, mini-vans and full-size vans)
on the road.
For the 12-month period from July 1996 to June 1997 (most recent data),
15.29 million new vehicles were registered. Vehicle scrappage (vehicles
failing to re-register are presumed scrapped) totaled 12.51 million units,
resulting in a fleet increase of 2.78 million units. Polk's VIO report,
considered the "census" of the United States vehicle fleet, covers vehicle
registrations through June 30, 1997.
"Thirty years after the country's human population surpassed 200 million,
the number of vehicles in operation has done the same," said Glenn Forbes,
Polk vice president for transportation business development. "Despite
reaching the milestone, 1997 marked the first year that vehicles per household
did not increase in a non-recession year."
Truck Popularity Continues
Of the additional 2.78 million vehicles on the road, trucks represent 2.72
million of the total, while passenger cars represent only 0.06 million.
Nearly twice as many cars (8.24 million) were scrapped compared to trucks
(4.26 million) during the 12-month period.
The increasing popularity of light trucks is the reason for the surge in
the overall truck segment. Light trucks account for 68.42 million or just
more than a third of vehicles on the road today.
To further demonstrate the strength of the overall truck market in recent
years, consider:
* During the last 10 years, the number of passenger cars on the road has
risen 4.82 million compared to a rise of 29.05 million for trucks.
* During the most recent recorded 12-month period, 8.30 million new
passenger cars were registered and 6.98 million new trucks were registered.
Trucks represented 46 percent of the total, the highest figure ever (note:
For the month of November 1997, Polk's registration data confirmed that light
trucks surpassed cars during the month for the first time in history).
* Vehicles in operation growth rates for passenger cars and trucks during
the last five years:
Year Cars Trucks
1997 0.0% 3.7%
1996 1.1% 5.0%
1995 1.0% 5.2%
1994 0.8% 2.2%
1993 0.6% 6.7%
"Backed by our data, the number of vehicles in service by segment
indicates consumers are adding vehicles to their household fleet that
complement the features of vehicles they already own," said Richard Spitzer,
director of industry analysis for Polk. "This is occurring in order to
address their many transportation needs."
Vehicle Growth Pace Slowing
Overall, the rate of vehicle growth is slowing. It took 18 years (1953-
1971) for vehicles in operation to grow 100 percent from 50 million to 100
million; 13 years (1971-1984) for it to grow 50 percent from 100 million to
150 million; and 13 more years (1984-1997) for it to grow 33 percent from 150
million to 200 million (see chart).
Vehicles in Operation Milestones:
Milestone VIO Year Years Needed
50 million 50,894,923 1953 --
100 million 101,599,611 1971 18
150 million 152,161,512 1984 13
200 million 201,070,397 1997 13
"The slowing rate of VIO growth and slowing pace of additional vehicles in
the household suggests that, in the future, total VIO will be driven more by
population increases than by any other factor," Spitzer said.
Vehicles Older Than Ever
For the eighth consecutive year, the median age of automobiles in the
United States has been on the rise. The median age of a car in 1997 was 8.1
years, the oldest in history, while the median age of trucks was 7.8 years,
also the oldest ever.
Median Age Cars Trucks
1997 8.1 7.8
1995 7.7 7.6
1990 6.5 6.5
1985 6.9 7.6
1980 6.0 6.3
1975 5.4 5.8
1970 4.9 5.9
"The continuing growth in the median age is a tribute to car makers,
their vehicles are proving more durable. With more cars on the road lasting
longer, the median age number should continue to increase over the next few
years," Spitzer said.
Polk produces the VIO report from official state registration records and
markets the information to vehicle manufacturers, the automotive aftermarket
and the tire, oil, glass and insurance industries. State and federal
government agencies also use the Polk census for studies involving
environmental, energy and safety issues.
Polk provides multi-dimensional intelligence information solutions to
companies as a statistician for the motor vehicle industry; as a direct-
marketing resource; as a supplier of demographic and lifestyle data and
database-marketing services; as a publisher of city directories; and as a data
enabler for geographic information systems. Polk is a privately held firm
with facilities around the world, including the United States, Canada,
England, Germany, Barbados and Costa Rica.
