MITCHELL, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) Vehicles on US roadways are getting older. That’s according to a new report by S&P Global Mobility, with the average age of cars and trucks rising to 12.6 years old in 2024. That’s two months older than vehicles on the road in 2023.
Due to the rise in light truck and SUV sales, US passenger car production will fall beneath 100 million for the first time since 1978. That’s due to a combination of consumer preferences for larger vehicles, four wheel drive capability, the rise of trucks for passenger use rather than just work and hauling purposes and automakers’ preferences for higher margin models.
Several popular passenger models of old have been discontinued including the Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Ford Edge, Ford Fiesta, Kia Stinger, Kio Rio, Mazda CX-9, and Nissan Maxima among others.
Since 2020, more than 27 million passenger cars have been scrapped or destroyed with just 13 million manufactured to replace them, whereas 26 million light trucks have been scrapped or destroyed with 45 million trucks replacing them.