In a development that can only mean well for auto body repair shops, a recent news article revealed that the average age of cars and light trucks on the road in the U.S. has increased to 10.8 years. Although the increase in the age of these vehicle categories were slight from 2010, over five years, the increase has been observed to be more rapid. For passenger cars, the average age is actually 11.1 years. This analysis was based on vehicle registration data gathered from around the U.S.
An analyst from the survey firm Polk noted that, "The increasing age of the vehicle fleet, together with the increasing length of ownership, offers significant business growth opportunity for the automotive aftermarket. Dealer service departments and independent repair facilities, as well as aftermarket parts suppliers, will see increased business opportunity with customers in need of vehicle service." What this means for auto body repair and other service shops is that the market size for vehicles needing repair is growing larger, which means more opportunities and business for auto body repair shops. Needless to say, a shop has to be known to offer quality and reliable service to take full advantage of this opportunity.
Although automobile manufacturers are looking forward to a rebound in new cars sales in 2012, the length of ownership of a car will not necessarily change and may even lengthen it. For example, the success of crossovers and SUVs in the market mean that the owners could hang on to their vehicles more, given their more rugged construction and variety of uses, compared to passenger cars.
Another interesting development which affect auto body repair shops directly is the increasing number of vehicles on U.S. roads. Since 2008, it had been observed that the number of passenger cars on the roads had been steadily decreasing. At that time (July 2008), the total number of passengers and light trucks on the road numbered 242 million. In July of 2011, it was 240.5 million cars and light trucks, which was 500,000 vehicles more than for the previous year. For automotive service shops, this number of cars and light trucks represents a number that can only inspire confidence in the viability of their business. Of course, a lot of other factors in the success of their business will come into play, but in terms of market size, the numbers are simply huge.
