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Table 4-11M: Passenger Car and Motorcycle Fuel Consumption and Travel

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  1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Vehicles registered (thousands)                                  
Passenger cars 61,671 75,258 89,244 106,706 121,601 127,885 133,700 128,300 126,581 127,327 127,883 128,387 129,728 129,749 131,839 132,432 133,621
Motorcycles 574 1,382 2,824 4,964 5,694 5,444 4,259 4,177 4,065 3,978 3,757 3,897 3,872 3,826 3,879 4,152 4,346
Vehicle-kilometers traveled (millions)                                  
Passenger cars 944,685 1,163,556 1,475,768 1,664,062 1,789,591 2,006,852 2,265,956 2,185,489 2,208,020 2,212,848 2,262,738 2,314,237 2,365,736 2,418,129 R2,493,802 2,525,222 2,578,031
Motorcycles a a 4,828 9,012 16,415 14,645 15,450 14,806 15,450 15,933 16,415 15,772 15,933 16,224 R16,549 17,033 16,864
Fuel consumed (million liters)                                  
Passenger cars 155,849 188,222 256,723 280,650 264,911 270,725 263,344 243,466 247,702 253,804 256,931 257,681 262,030 264,570 R271,395 277,406 276,015
Motorcycles a a 227 428 772 689 723 697 723 750 776 742 750 765 R780 803 793
Average kilometers traveled per vehicle (thousands)                                  
Passenger cars 15.3 15.5 16.5 15.6 14.7 15.7 16.9 17.0 17.4 17.4 17.7 18.0 18.2 18.6 18.8 19.1 19.3
Motorcycles a a 1.7 1.8 2.9 2.7 3.6 3.5 3.8 4.0 4.4 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.1 3.9
Average kilometers traveled per liter                                  
Passenger cars 6.1 6.2 5.7 5.9 6.8 7.4 8.6 9.0 8.9 8.7 8.8 9.0 9.0 9.1 R9.2 9.1 9.3
Motorcycles a a 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21
Average fuel consumed per vehicle (liters)                                  
Passenger cars 2,527 2,501 2,877 2,630 2,179 2,117 1,970 1,898 1,957 1,993 2,009 2,007 2,020 2,039 R2,059 2,095 2,066
Motorcycles a a 80 86 136 127 170 167 178 188 207 190 194 200 201 193 183

KEY: R = revised.

a Included in passenger car.

NOTES:

Numbers may differ slightly from previous year's metric tables because a higher precision conversion factor was used.

See table 4-12for other 2-axle 4-tire vehicles.

SOURCES:

Passenger car:

Number registered:

1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table MV-201.

1995-2000: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.

All other categories:

1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201A. For 1970-94, the unrevised motorcycle vehicle-miles and fuel consumed are subtracted from the combined passenger car and motorcycle vehicle-miles and fuel consumed from VM-201A. Data was then converted to kilometers.

1995-2000: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.

Motorcycle:

Number registered:

1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table MV-201.

1995-2000: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.

All other categories:

1970-85: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1985, table VM-201A.

1990-2000: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.

Average kilometers traveled per vehicle, average kilometers traveled per liter, average fuel consumed per vehicle: derived by calculation.