Auto Sales in August

September 2, 2011 — The Editors

The business pages of major papers all over the United States today are reporting on U.S. auto and light truck sales in August 2011. What is interesting is the fact that based on a commonly used reporting technique—namely to compare sales in one month with the sales in that month one year earlier—sales in August 2011 look very good. They were 7.5% more than sales of autos and light trucks in August 2010 and 1.2% greater than sales in July 2011. The trend is definitely positive.

However, in times of sudden economic slowdown, or times of recover after a precipitous decline these sorts of comparisons can be misleading. Daniel Gross put this situation very colorfully in a 2010 Slate article on the auto industry, saying “comparing August 2010 to August 2009 is a little like comparing today’s home run totals to those racked up in seasons when the sluggers were on steroids and the ball was juiced.” Worth noting is the fact that U.S. auto sales averaged 16 million units annually between 2000 and 2007. Based on sales through August of 2011, annual sales are estimated to reach 12.5 million for the year. The industry has been changed greatly by the last recession.

Geographic reference: United States
Year: August 2011
Market size: 1.07 million automobiles and light trucks
Source: Nick Bunkley, “Car Buyers Unfazed by Storms, Financial and Tropical, in August,” September 2, 2011, page B1, The New York Times, and Daniel Gross, “A Successful Turn,” September 2, 2010, Slate, available online here.
Original source MotorIntelligence.com
Posted on August 9, 2011

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Auto Repair Services

August 16, 2011 — The Editors

Several of us here have had reason lately to make large payments to auto mechanics. This, combined with the level of business apparent at our various auto repair shops, lead us to wonder if businesses that do automotive repair and maintenance work were, perhaps recovering more quickly from the great recession than other businesses in the service sector.

The future looks bright for automotive repair shops as the median age of automobiles in the United States continues to climb. According to a study by R.L. Polk Company, the median age of automobiles on the road in the United States grew 44% between 1990 and 2008, from 6.5 years to 9.4 years. And these median age figures do not include the changes that resulted in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis which had a devastating impact on new vehicle sales. Demand for automotive repair will only increase as the age of the fleet increases.

Today’s market size is based on the estimated revenue of all automotive repair and maintenance firms in the U.S. in 2001 and 2010. Worth noting, these revenue figures are for firms defined by the source as “employer firms,” and thus do not include all those involved in doing repair work on their own or on the side.

Geographic reference: United States
Year: 2001 amd 2010
Market size: $76,518 million and $83,714 million respectively
Source: Yearbook 2010, “Table 10.1 Other Services (Except Public Administration, Religious, Labor, and Political Organizations, and Private Households) (NAICS 81) – Estimated Reveunue for Employer Firms: 2001 through 2009,” page 198, Survice Annual Survey 2009, issued in February 2011 and available online here. Preliminary data for 2010 are from early released reports from the Survice Annaul Survey 2010.
Original source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Census Bureau

Posted in All Transport Vehicles, Cars, Repair Services. 2 Comments »

Luxury Car Market

May 18, 2011 — The Editors

Rolls-Royce Hood

Today’s market size is the size of the market in China for luxury automobiles. According to the source, the leading brand of car sold in China in 2010 was the Audi which had the top two best selling models.

Geographic reference: China
Year: 2010
Market size: 458,976 luxury cars
Source: Thompson, Chrissie, “Chinese Bypassing Detroit When They Think Luxury,” page 6B, Detroit Free Press, May 15, 2011. The Photo was taken at the 2011 International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan and while it is not an Audi hood ornament, it is pretty.
Original Source: JD Power and Associates

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Vehicle Registrations

December 1, 2010 — The Editors

Here, we look at automobile registrations as well as light truck registrations. These vehicles are used for both personal and commerical purposes but can be seen as primarily vehicles for personal use.

Geographic reference: United States
Year: 2008
Market size: Automobiles, 137.1 Million and Light Trucks, 101.2 Million
Source: State Transportation Statistics 2009, “United States Fast Facts,” Page V.
Original Source: Research and Innovation Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation

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Airport Car Rental Market in the United States

June 10, 2010 — The Editors

The leading car rental firms in this market are Hertz (with a 26% market share), Avis (19%), National (12%), Enterprise (10%), Budget (10%), and Alamo (9%). The airport rental car market is one segment of the overall market and represents about half of the total U.S. car rental market.

Geographic reference: United States
Year: 2009
Market size: $10 Billion
Source: “Hertz Investor Marketing,” February 10, 2010, p. NA
Original Source: Euromonitor

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Airport Car Rental Market in Europe

June 9, 2010 — The Editors

Leaders in this market include Hertz, Europcar, Avis, and Sixt. Together, these four companies represented 81% of the airport car rental market in Western Europe.

Geographic reference: Western Europe
Year: 2008
Market size: $6 Billion
Source: “Hertz Investor Marketing,” May 6, 2009, p. NA
Original Source: Euromonitor

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