The Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) salutes the great news that the average age of vehicles in the United States has reached an all-time high of 11.4 years.
According to APRA President, Bill Gager, "This provides even more opportunities for the increased utilization of remanufactured parts. In today's world people are looking for both economical and environmentally friendly options that will help them keep their older cars on the road, and what better place to turn than the use of remanufactured parts."
To collect data for their latest report, R.L. Polk compiled information from state vehicle registration databases, reviewing over 247 million car and light truck registrations. According to Polk, the average age of the nation's car and light-vehicle fleet has continued to rise since 2002, a trend which has now resulted in a record high of 11.4 years. This represents an increase from 11.3 years last year and 10.8 years in 2010. In 2002 the average age of a vehicle on the road was 9.8 years.
Gager continued, "The American consumer continues to keep their vehicles for longer than ever before and parts remanufacturing, which is the ultimate form of recycling, continues to benefit from this growing trend."
According to the Polk report, the number of vehicles older than 12 years has increased more than 20 percent and that percentage is expected to continue to rise for at least the next five years.
