Vehicles in operation highest since 2008
The total number of vehicles on the road reached its highest level since 2008 in second-quarter 2013, says Experian Automotive. The average age of vehicles on the road was 10.9 years, almost a year older than four years earlier. That figure explains the pent-up demand that has helped drive sales this year.
Full-size pickups were the top segment at 14.9 percent, followed by midrange cars (11.9 percent) and small economy cars (9 percent). General Motors had the highest share of vehicles in operation at 26.6 percent, followed by Ford (18.9 percent), Toyota (12.6 percent) and Chrysler (12.5 percent).
Nationwide, imports had a 51.8 percent share of total new registrations in the first half of 2013, down from 52.7 percent a year ago. Import registrations are generally higher in the Washington area.
In the second quarter, slightly more than half of vehicles in operation in the U.S. were between model years 2000 and 2008.
Download Bulletin PDF