U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Vehicle Technologies Office

Fact #493: October 29, 2007
Market Share - Cars vs. Light Trucks

Before the popularity of sport utility vehicles (SUVs), cars dominated the light vehicle market. The graph below shows that the market share for pickup trucks has remained between 10 and 20% since 1975, and the market share for vans grew in the 1990's, but declined slightly in recent years. The market share for cars has declined as the SUV market has increased. The 2006 data show cars having 54% of the light vehicle market, but 2007 estimates show SUVs making a comeback.

New Light Vehicle Market Share, 1975-2005
Graph showing the market share for pickups, vans, cars, and SUVs from 1975 to 2005. For more detailed information, see the table below.

Supporting Information

New Light Vehicle Market Share, 1975-2005
Year Car Van Pickup SUV
1975 80.6% 4.5% 13.1% 1.8%
1976 78.8% 4.1% 15.1% 2.0%
1977 80.0% 3.6% 14.4% 2.0%
1978 77.3% 4.3% 15.6% 2.6%
1979 77.7% 3.5% 15.9% 2.9%
1980 83.5% 2.0% 12.7% 1.6%
1981 82.8% 2.3% 13.6% 1.3%
1982 80.2% 3.3% 14.8% 1.6%
1983 77.8% 3.6% 15.7% 2.8%
1984 76.2% 4.8% 14.5% 4.4%
1985 74.7% 5.8% 14.4% 5.1%
1986 71.8% 6.8% 16.4% 5.1%
1987 72.2% 7.4% 14.5% 5.9%
1988 70.2% 7.5% 16.1% 6.4%
1989 69.3% 8.8% 15.4% 6.4%
1990 69.9% 10.0% 14.6% 5.6%
1991 67.8% 8.2% 15.3% 8.7%
1992 66.6% 10.0% 15.2% 8.3%
1993 64.0% 10.9% 15.1% 10.0%
1994 59.6% 10.1% 18.9% 11.5%
1995 62.1% 10.9% 15.0% 12.0%
1996 60.0% 10.7% 14.9% 14.3%
1997 57.6% 8.8% 16.7% 17.0%
1998 55.2% 10.3% 16.7% 17.8%
1999 55.1% 9.6% 16.7% 18.7%
2000 55.0% 10.2% 15.7% 18.9%
2001 53.9% 7.9% 16.1% 22.1%
2002 51.6% 7.7% 14.8% 26.0%
2003 50.3% 7.8% 15.6% 26.2%
2004 47.9% 6.1% 15.9% 29.9%
2005 50.5% 9.3% 14.6% 25.8%
2006 54.0% 7.7% 14.1% 24.4%
2007 50.9% 6.4% 13.7% 29.0%

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 through 2007, September 2007

 

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