SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -

Reporting on what it observed in the market for the fourth quarter, Experian Automotive said it hadn’t seen a scrappage-rate climb like this since Cash for Clunkers.

Experian’s Vehicles in Operation Market Analysis showed the fourth-quarter scrappage rate for cars increased by 28.3 percent when compared to the third quarter of the same year. Meanwhile, analysts said Thursday that the rate for light trucks more than doubled in the fourth quarter, rising by 58.2 percent over the previous quarter

For all of 2010, Experian said the annual scrappage rate was 5.3 percent for cars and 3.5 percent for light trucks.

“The past quarter saw the biggest jump in vehicle scrappage rates since Cash for Clunkers in 2009,” explained Marty Miller, senior product manager for Experian Automotive.

“With the high number of vehicles coming out of operation and the overall number of vehicles in operation going down, it is more important than ever for automotive aftermarket organizations to ensure they have the most up-to-date market data available to help them make better inventory decisions, manage the supply chain and drive profitability,” Miller continued.

Experian’s fourth-quarter report unveiled some other major findings:

—Year-end results for the U.S. fourth quarter 2010 VIO data show a total of 239,811,984 passenger cars and light trucks currently registered on the road, which is up from last year at the same time (239,061,943), but down from last quarter (240,282,742).  

—Light trucks encompass 50.4 percent of vehicles on the road, which is up from 50.1 percent at the same period last year.

—The average age of the vehicle market is up 3.3 percent, from 9.6 years in the fourth quarter of 2009 to 9.9 years in the fourth quarter of 2010.

—The domestic vehicle share for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler stands at 61.3 percent of the total market which is down 1.6 percent from the same period last year — a loss of 2.4 million vehicles.  By manufacturer, Experian found GM is down 1.9 percent, Chrysler is down 1.5 percent and Ford is down 1.4 percent overall from last year at the same period.

In addition to findings from the quarterly report, Experian also conducted a market trend analysis, highlighting changes that have taken place in the number and types of vehicles on the road during the six-month period ranging from July 1 to Dec. 31.

Results of this analysis showed significant changes within VIO, including:

—More than 5.7 million new vehicles were introduced to the market of which 539 new model/series did not exist as of July 1.

—Nearly 17.5 million used vehicles changed owners in the last six months.

—More than 5.7 million vehicles were removed and scrapped from operation.

—Overall vehicle volumes decreased by nearly 790,000 units while light truck volumes compensated for the loss by adding 800,000 units.

—Import vehicles increased by 1.9 percent over the six-month period with Hyundai growing the largest at 5.4 percent, followed by Subaru at 4.2 percent.

—Vehicles within the 1983-1992 model-year range saw an average decrease in VIO of 8.2 percent in the time period.

The company noted additional fourth-quarter data insights and further results of the six-month market analysis will be presented in Experian’s quarterly Webinar slated for middle of next month. For more information, visit www.experian.com/automotive/auto-resources.html.

Analysts reiterated Experian’s U.S. and Canadian vehicles in operation data, which is coded to Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association standards, includes more than 25 detailed vehicle attributes for 1967 and newer vehicles and includes quarterly deliveries for both Canada and the U.S.

For more details, visit www.autocount.com.