SUVs Up 56 Percent Over Five Years, 24.2 Million on Nation’s Roads

[The Straight Story]

SUVs Up 56 Percent Over Five Years, 24.2 Million on Nation’s Roads, Census Bureau Reports
California and Texas Lead Nation in SUV Registrations


DALLAS — Sport utility vehicle (SUV) registrations increased by 56 percent between 1997 and 2002, from 15.5 million to 24.2 million, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released today on the nation’s registered trucks and vans. California and Texas led the nation in adding registered SUVs. California had the most registered SUVs — 2.8 million — while Texas had 1.8 million in 2002. (See Table S1. )
chart

The SUV increase continued a nationwide trend reported five years ago, but the rise fell short of the dramatic 81 percent jump in SUV registrations between 1992 and 1997.

“Altogether, SUVs traveled nearly 315 billion miles on the nation’s highways in 2002, up 100 billion miles from 1997,” said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon at a local SUV dealership in Dallas. “Collectively, SUVs made the equivalent of more than 650,000 round-trips to the moon in 2002.”

SUV registrations more than doubled in Tennessee over the five-year period, at 151 percent (from 231,700 to 581,200). Other states with large percentage increases in registrations were Georgia (114 percent, from 416,500 to 892,400) and Indiana (103 percent, from 275,800 to 560,900).

The release of the 2002 Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) report for the nation follows the release of individual reports for states and the District of Columbia. The final four state reports — Kansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Tennessee — were also released today.

Other highlights:

SUVs

* Nationwide, there was approximately one registered SUV for every eight licensed drivers in 2002. States with the highest concentrations were Colorado and Wyoming, with about one SUV for every five licensed drivers. (See Table S2. )

* The District of Columbia had only one SUV for every 14 licensed drivers in 2002. However, there was one for every 30 licensed drivers five years earlier.

Pickup trucks

* Pickup truck registrations were up by only 5 percent between 1997 and 2002, but the 38 million pickups were still the majority of light, single-unit trucks. (See Table P1. )

* Texas had the greatest increase in pickup registrations, gaining 747,800 vehicles between 1997 and 2002 to reach more than 3.3 million. California had the greatest number of pickups, at 4.1 million.

* West Virginia led the nation in the rate of increase of pickup registrations, at 38 percent, as its total jumped by 100,000 to reach 362,600 vehicles. Texas’ increase was 29 percent, and New Jersey was also among the leaders with a 25 percent increase (from 393,400 to 493,300).

* Nationwide, there was approximately one pickup truck for every five licensed drivers in 2002, but there was one pickup for nearly every two drivers in Wyoming. Other high concentrations were found in Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota, with between two and three licensed drivers per registered pickup. (See Table P2 ).

Minivans and all trucks

* Minivans continued to be popular, with registrations increasing 24 percent over the five-year period.

* Total U.S. truck registrations in 2002 were estimated at 85.2 million, up 17 percent from 72.8 million in 1997.

* Pickups comprised nearly half (45 percent) of truck registrations in 2002, with SUVs at 28 percent and minivans, 14 percent.

* About 77 percent of all trucks were used for personal transportation in 2002, while 19 percent were operated for business, including for-hire use.


The report also includes information on fuel efficiency, annual mileage, primary range of operation, permanent equipment and other physical and operational characteristics. The VIUS is conducted every five years as part of the Economic Census.

Estimates in the VIUS reports are based on data from the 2002 VIUS. They contain sampling and nonsampling errors. To keep the identity of an individual respondent confidential, some estimates may be suppressed. Users who make their own estimates based on survey estimates should cite the U.S. Census Bureau as the source of the original estimates only. See <http://www.census.gov/svsd/www/02vehinv.html> for measures of sampling variability and other survey information.

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/transportation_industry/003127.html

[The Straight Story]

1. California and Texas lead the way:

The U.S. Census Bureau will release a new Economic Census report showing that California and Texas led the nation in sport utility vehicle (SUV) gains. Following a news conference releasing the national SUV numbers, Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon will take part in a brief tour of John Eagle Lincoln Mercury of Dallas. Texas had one of the highest percent increases of SUV registrations among states.

[proud patriot]

2. They are all over the place around here

x(

[Ron Green]

3. The really f***ed up part is that as these sorry-ass vehicles age,

they will move into the possession of kids who are just learning to drive, as well as people with no insurance and without the means to maintain these large and dangerous machines.

[The Straight Story]

6. I own 2 myself

A jeep grand cherokee 4wd and a fmc safari. But in both cases I got a great deal (one was $4500 and one $500) from family friends. Personally I am hoping to ditch the safari and get an altima next year, but don't want saddled with car payments and higher insurance.

Overall I prefer fuel efficient vehicles for many reasons, but I do like the jeep and sitting higher up. The space is nice as well as I do haul servers and things often.

SUV's have a place, and I won't bitch about the market - people demand it and they get it. If we want to curb it we need to change how people think. One example might be to show them how much they save over a 5 year (avg loan) period on gas, show them the total cost of ownership (in my case lower because I was able to get a good deal and have never in my 39 years of life owned a new vehicle, but if I do buy new next year will go altima most likely).

[Ron Green]

8. I've got to disagree that the market approach is a valid one. As an

American, I should favor letting people buy whatever they can afford, but it hasn't worked so far, has it? We have a transportation system that provides for plenty of freedom of movement, but at a horrendous cost in public safety, environmental quality, lost revenue, and so on. Only the government can regulate the public roadways, and by failing to prevent the market from supplying dangerous and wasteful vehicles to people who don't need them but WANT them, the government has allowed our fearful selves to fill the roads with these things. I shudder to think of who will be driving all the 10- and 15-year-old Expeditions with bad brakes and bald tires. It'll be teenage drivers and uninsured motorists.

[proudbluestater]

4. This would help explain why

We are only 4% of the world population, but consume a full 25% of the world's oil supply.

[Selatius]

5. But it's so hip to own an SUV

Nothing feels better than riding high on the roads of America. It's cool; it's en vogue. You're not a real American if you drive a pissant Honda Civic hybrid. Well, are you a real American? ARE YOU? Gas mileage be damned! It's my life; I'll live irresponsibly if I want.

(End sarcasm)

[The Straight Story]

7. One of my engineers drives a hybrid

pretty nice too IMHO. I had credit problems and could not get a new car, but landed a sweet deal through family/friends on some SUV's. Things are looking up (bought a house, got a credit card) so next year looking to buy a new car (altima as mentioned in another post). I drove one to chicago and back, only filled up twice. Nice ride, good room, loved it.

[feistydem]

9. 6000+ lbs. of vehicle gets you a big tax write-off

The big SUVs are classified as work vehicles and receive the biggest write-offs. Believe it or not it is based on weight. So the less-economical SUVs receive the bigger tax breaks.

Uncle Sam built in a little financial incentive for waste and excess.

[BeeBee]

10. Because of having 2 dogs...

We own a Toyota 4Runner (to carry them around) but also have a Toyota Prius for every day use... When they're available, we're planning on trading up to a Lexus hybrid.

[newyawker99]

21. Hi BeeBee!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[moondust]

11. Peak Oil? Bring it on!

We'll use our nukes if we have to to keep our SUVs chuggin! Well, when our the oil fields in Iraq run dry of course.

Back in the days of the "responsible citizen" conserving energy by turning out the lights when not in use and buying compact cars to drive at 55 mph, after the OPEC crunch of '73, there were some who had the attitude that if we were running out of oil then they were going to burn as much as they could before it was gone. Apparently it caught on.

[Philostopher]

12. Wonder if that includes mini-utes?

My RAV4 gets better mileage than the Mazda I had immediately before it. Seems like everybody has a mini-ute model, anymore -- the CR-V, the Tracker, the Encore. I think Jeep has one, too. They usually are car-platform based, get 20+ mpg, and provide most of the utility of one of those Sherman tanks (since much of the interior of most of them is devoted to seating) for much less money, gas guzzling, and danger to other drivers.

Not that I'd have bought anything any bigger -- and wouldn't you know it, they came out with the Mazda 3 five-door model right after we bought it, which we'd have considered if it had been available then. It doesn't get much better mileage, though, and we drive the RAV only a hair more than 10k miles a year anyway.

[Dem2theMax]

13. Somehow I didn't need that report to know that Calif. leads in the SUV

market. Heck, they must lead in the 'I have to have a new car EVERY year and it has to be EXPEN$IVE so I can show it off' market as well. :puke:

You should see the Hummers here. Unbelievable.
It makes me so mad that people do not care one bit about what they are doing to the resources of the planet.


As long as they have their big bank accounts... :nuke:

[jdots]

15. I drove an old Suburban for years as a work truck

it fits a 4X8 of plywood and is a good pickup with a built in shell.
They won't stop or handle and the milage sucks even when you baby them.The california fantasy is that a big land yaught
is safer is crap.The power trip of being higher up is crap and when you see these douche bags with 7000$ wheels & tires on a shit bag hummer 2 (which is a suburban with a ugly body) they have less brains than class.....but they have thier magnetic yellow ribbon..........

[Sgent]

16. Tax Write-offs

I just wanted to point out that if you take the ehanced tax write-off for a larger SUV (9,000+ lbs), you must use the vehicle over 50% of the time for work.

If later down the road you cease to do so, you face huge taxes and penalties in the form of recaptured depreciation.

Finally, you don't get any more of a tax write-off for an SUV that is 9,000+ than you do for any other work vehicle, including a hybrid or passenger car. The difference is that you can accelerate it in one year, up to 100k of total capital equipment for the entire business. In the long run, except for the time value of money, the tax write-offs are the same (over 6 years or until the sale of the vehicle).

[Qanisqineq]

14. I own an older SUV and it has decent gas mileage

it's a chevy blazer and it is 12 years old. I bought it because I used to live in the land of ice and snow (North Dakota) and wanted 4 wheel drive. I still have it because my husband and I are making payments on another car and can't afford two car payments. Anyway, despite SUV's having bad gas mileage this one is actually pretty fair. It averages about 25 mpg in the CITY. Seriously. Even at it's advanced age! I'd love to get rid of it though, too much rust.

I can understand why ND has a high concentration of pickup trucks -- farmers need them and ND has a ton of farmers (including my dad), plus those with 4 wheel drive are a plus in the winter.

[SweetLeftFoot]

17. It would be easier

if somebody developed an SUV that ran on blood.

Then you could just buy and Iraqi kid, squish him/her down and fill it up.

Alternatively you could go down the local national Guard office and ask the people there to donate a few pints and get the beast moving again.

[gander2112]

22. dang, almost spit green tea on my powerbook...

That was too funny.

(this might be over the top)

Perhaps if they developed an SUV that ran on STEM CELLS, the government would start funding stem cell research...

Geoff

[anarchy1999]

18. The first place we started to be active, we own a domain name

SUVEC. I had a letter to the editor posted in 2000 about the safety issues. May they all go down. I'm sorry, it's just how I feel and I live in Dallas, home to SUV's of all shapes and sizes. Most aggressive drivers on the road.

[elderly man]

19. 2002 Ford Explorer

I check mileage every time I refill gas tank.
Lowest observed 20 miles per gallon.
Highest observed 22.5 miles per gallon.
How does this compare to other vehicles?

[Ms_Mary]

20. I have a 98 Explorer and mine is similar. I wish I could afford a hybrid

There are reasons I have an SUV. I live on a mountain and I use my 4wd in the winter. For my business, I often have to haul loads of 1,000 - 1,500 lbs, which I can't do in in a car. I would LOVE to have a hybrid or a car with great mileage, but I can't afford it. It's much cheaper for me to keep the SUV that I own outright than to make an expensive car payment. Before getting this SUV, I seriously considered looking at cars but I couldn't figure out how it would be workable for my needs.