U.S. vehicle sales down in August, below 1983 levels
September 1st, 2010 by Jim JustAutodata Corp estimates light vehicle sales a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 11.47 million units in August, down 18.9% from August 2009 (which was boosted by cash-for-clunkers), and down 0.5% from the July 2010 sales rate.
Calculated Risk posts this chart showing U.S. auto sales since the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) started keeping data in 1967.
The August 2009 “blip” was the product of “cash for clunkers.”
U.S. auto sales are still below levels last seen in 1983, when there were fewer registered drivers and a smaller population.
VMT in the U.S. peaked in 2007. About 14.8 million cars are being scrapped every year in the U.S. With the number of cars on U.S. roads declining, it’s hard to understand how projections that traffic volume on U.S. roads will continue to increase in the future as it has in the past will prove out. Maybe it’s time we start planning for reduced traffic volumes – which might mean scuttling some of our most touted projects, such as the Columbia River Crossing.