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Table 4-11: 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 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Vehicles registered (thousands)                                              
Passenger cars 61,671 75,258 89,244 106,706 121,601 127,885 133,700 128,300 126,581 127,327 127,883 128,387 129,728 129,749 131,839 132,432 133,621 137,633 135,921 135,670 136,431 136,568 135,400
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 4,903 5,004 5,370 5,768 6,227 6,686
Vehicle-miles traveled (millions)                                              
Passenger cars 587,000 723,000 917,000 1,034,000 1,112,000 1,247,000 1,408,000 1,358,000 1,372,000 1,375,000 1,406,000 1,438,000 1,469,854 1,502,556 1,549,577 1,569,100 1,600,287 1,628,332 1,658,474 1,672,079 1,699,890 (R) 1,708,421 1,682,671
Motorcycles a a 3,000 5,600 10,200 9,100 9,600 9,200 9,600 9,900 10,200 9,800 9,920 10,081 10,283 10,584 10,469 9,639 9,552 9,577 10,122 (R) 10,454 12,401
Fuel consumed (million gallons)                                              
Passenger cars 41,171 49,723 67,819 74,140 69,982 71,518 69,568 64,317 65,436 67,048 67,874 68,072 69,221 69,892 71,695 73,283 73,065 73,559 75,471 75,455 75,402 (R) 77,418 74,983
Motorcycles a a 60 113 204 182 191 184 191 198 205 196 198 202 206 212 209 193 191 192 202 (R) 189 221
Average miles traveled per vehicle (thousands)                                              
Passenger cars 9.5 9.6 10.3 9.7 9.1 9.8 10.5 10.6 10.8 10.8 11.0 11.2 11.3 11.6 11.8 11.8 12.0 12 12.2 12.3 12.5 (R) 12.5 12.4
Motorcycles a a 1.1 1.1 1.8 1.7 2.3 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.7 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.5 2.4 2 1.9 1.8 1.8 (R) 1.7 1.9
Average miles traveled per gallon                                              
Passenger cars 14.3 14.5 13.5 13.9 15.9 17.4 20.2 21.1 21.0 20.5 20.7 21.1 21.2 21.5 21.6 21.4 21.9 22.1 22.0 22.2 23 (R) 22.1 22.4
Motorcycles a a 50.0 49.6 50.0 50.0 50.3 50.0 50.3 50.0 49.8 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 49.9 50.0 50.0 50 (R) 55.2 56.1
Average fuel consumed per vehicle (gallons)                                              
Passenger cars 668 661 760 695 576 559 520 501 517 527 531 530 534 539 544 553 547 534 555 556 553 (R) 567 554
Motorcycles a a 21 23 36 33 45 44 47 50 55 50 51 53 53 51 48 39 38 36 35 (R) 30 33

KEY: R = revised.

a Included in passenger car.

NOTES

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

Average miles traveled per vehicle, average miles traveled per gallon, average fuel consumed per vehicle are derived by calculation.

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.

1995-2005: 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.

1995-2006: 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.

1995-2005: 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.

1990-2006: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.