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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 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 5,370 6,227 6,686
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 2,365,501 2,418,129 2,493,802 2,525,222 2,575,412 2,620,546 2,669,055 2,690,950 2,735,708 (R) 2,749,437 2,707,996
Motorcycles a a 4,828 9,012 16,415 14,645 15,450 14,806 15,450 15,933 16,415 15,772 15,965 16,224 16,549 17,033 16,848 15,512 15,372 15,413 16,290 (R) 16,824 19,957
Fuel consumed (million liters)                                              
Passenger cars 155,849 188,222 256,723 280,650 264,911 270,725 263,344 243,466 247,702 253,804 256,931 257,681 262,030 264,571 271,396 277,406 276,582 278,450 285,690 285,627 285,427 (R) 293,059 283,841
Motorcycles a a 227 428 772 689 723 697 723 750 776 742 751 763 779 801 793 731 723 725 766 (R) 715 837
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 18.9 19.1 19.3 19.0 19.6 19.8 20.1 (R) 20.1 20.0
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 4.3 4.1 3.9 3.2 3.1 2.9 3.0 (R) 2.7 3.0
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 9.2 9.1 9.3 9.4 9.3 9.4 9.6 (R) 9.4 9.7
Motorcycles a a 21.3 21.1 21.3 21.3 21.4 21.3 21.4 21.3 21.2 21.3 21.3 21.3 21.3 21.3 21.3 21.2 21.3 21.3 21.3 (R) 21.3 21.3
Average fuel consumed per vehicle (liters)                                              
Passenger cars 2527 2501 2877 2630 2179 2117 1970 1898 1957 1993 2009 2007 2020 2039 2059 2095 2070 2023 2102 2105 2092 (R) 2,146 2096
Motorcycles a a 80 86 136 127 170 167 178 188 207 190 194 199 201 193 182 149 145 135 143 (R) 115 125

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.
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