The analysts at R. L. Polk & Co. estimate that the total number of light vehicles in
the United States will rise to more than 234 million units by the middle of 2008.
The
forecasted number is an increase of 16 million in the next five years, including new
registrations minus the number of vehicles scrapped out of the fleet. This represents a
gain of 13 percent for light trucks and a drop of 9 percent in cars.
Polk’s research shows
that passenger cars accounted for 60 percent of the nation’s fleet in 2003; by 2008, that
number will shrink to 54.7 percent of all vehicles. Polk’s report says light trucks last
longer in the fleet, which accounts for some of the rapid increase in the fleet over the
next three years.