Latest SMMT Motorparc data reveals that there were 29,007,820 cars on the road at the end of 2003. The car ‘parc’ has risen by 1.84 per cent since the previous survey at the end of 2002 when figures showed a total of 28,483,961 cars.
The biggest increase has come from diesel models. By the end of 2002 there were 4,083,055 examples on the road, but this rose 12.7 per cent to 4,602,607 models in 2003. The trend mirrors the increase in sales of new diesel models, which have more than doubled in four years from 303,925 units in 1999 to 704,637 in 2003.
In addition to data for cars, SMMT Motorparc figures confirm that there were 3,471,256
trucks and other commercial vehicles on the road at the end of 2003. The figure compares to 3,390,370 units at the end of 2002, an increase of 2.4 per cent.
The number of buses and coaches with more than 17 seats has also increased from 96,591 to 97,815 units while motorcycle numbers have risen 4.4 per cent from 1,278,596 to 1,334,539.
Note to editors:
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) 2003 Motorparc data is now available for all vehicle types on the road. Reports are available on a national basis or at regional level, down to the postcode district of registered keepers.
