R. L. Polk & Co. Reports Vehicle Age in U.S. on the Rise
 |
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Feb. 20 -- Median age of passenger cars in operation remained at 9.2 years in 2007 tying a record high in 2006, according to the vehicle population report released today by R. L. Polk & Co. The median age for trucks increased 5.8 percent to 7.3 years in 2007. Though registrations were down, the median age for light trucks in 2007 increased by 4.4 percent to 7.1 years.
"The median age of trucks, while still lower than cars, is starting to increase more now than in the recent past as the surge of pick-up trucks, SUVs and minivans purchased in the 1990s get older," said Mark Seng, vice president of Polk's Aftermarket team.
The percentage of total passenger cars and trucks scrapped in 2007 was up slightly to 5.2 percent compared to 5.0 percent in 2006. The scrappage rate for passenger cars increased to 5.5 percent in 2007 from 4.9 percent. (TABLE B).
"We continue to see increasing vehicle durability across all vehicle types regardless of last year's increase in the scrappage rate for cars, light trucks and total vehicles," said Dave Goebel, consultant for Polk's Aftermarket Solutions team. "In 2007, the percentage of the car population 11 years of age and older was 41.3 percent, compared to 40.9 percent in 2006. For light trucks, this percentage was 29.5 percent in 2007 and 29.2 percent in 2006."
Polk's vehicle population report data is updated annually on July 1, following an in-depth analysis of more than 248 million vehicles.
Table A
MEDIAN AGE OF VEHICLES
Statistics as of July 1, Each Year
Light
Year Cars All Trucks* Trucks**
1998 8.3 7.6 7.1
1999 8.3 7.2 6.9
2000 8.3 6.9 6.7
2001 8.3 6.8 6.1
2002 8.4 6.8 6.6
2003 8.6 6.7 6.5
2004 8.9 6.6 6.4
2005 9.0 6.8 6.6
2006 9.2 6.9 6.8
2007 9.2 7.3 7.1
Source: R. L. Polk & Co.; *GVW 1-8; **GVW 1-3
Table B
VEHICLE SCRAPPAGE RATES
Statistics as of July 1, Each Year
All Light All
Year Cars Trucks* Trucks** Vehicles
1970 9.5% 5.0% NA 8.7%
1980 8.1% 5.1% NA 7.4%
1990 7.2% 4.1% NA 6.3%
1995 6.1% 4.4% NA 5.5%
2000 6.4% 7.5% 6.7% 6.8%
2001 6.0% 7.6% 6.4% 6.6%
2002 5.6% 7.0% 6.2% 6.1%
2003 5.2% 5.9% 5.5% 5.5%
2004 4.8% 5.1% 4.8% 4.9%
2005 4.5% 4.1% 4.3% 4.3%
2006 4.9% 5.2% 5.0% 5.0%
2007 5.5% 4.8% 5.2% 5.2%
Source: R. L. Polk & Co.; *GVW 1-8; **GVW 1-3
About R. L. Polk & Co.
R. L. Polk & Co. is the premier provider of automotive information and marketing solutions. Polk collects and interprets global data, and provides extensive automotive business expertise to help customers understand their market position, identify trends, build brand loyalty, conquest new business and gain a competitive advantage. Polk helps automotive manufacturers and dealers, automotive aftermarket companies, finance and insurance companies, advertising agencies, media companies, consulting organizations, government agencies and market research firms make good business decisions. A privately held global firm, Polk is based in Southfield, Mich. with operations in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. For more information, please visit www.polk.com.
