Polk Research: Commercial Vehicle Registrations Remain Soft

According to the most recent reports compiled by Polk, the global automotive market intelligence firm recently acquired by IHS, new commercial vehicle registrations (GVW 3-8) remain soft through August 2013.
Total new commercial vehicle registrations were 379,300 units, up just two percent from the 371,700 reported during the same period last year. New registrations were up in all segments of the commercial industry with the exception of GVW 8 vehicles, traditionally the volume leader in commercial new vehicle registrations, according to Polk. New registrations of GVW 8 vehicles were down 8.5 percent during the eight-month period when compared to the previous calendar year.

Source: Polk

At the same time, there continues to be a robust market for commercial parts and service. With more than 11.7 million GVW 3-8 vehicles operating on the U. S. highways, 37.4 percent of the vehicle population represents models produced prior to the 2000 model year, according to Polk. This ranges from a high of 46.6 percent in GVW 6 to a low of 30.8 percent for GVW 5 vehicles. All of the numbers indicate a strong market for commercial vehicle replacement parts and service.