Australia Yearbook - 2001

820 Year Book Australia 2001
horsepower, and carrying capacity for
commercial vehicles. Continued growth since
then has seen the fleet expand to almost
12 million vehicles in 1999, excluding
motorcycles. This 12-fold increase in just over
50 years compares with a population growth of
2.4 times over the same period.
Between 1947–48 and 1999, ownership of a
vehicle changed from being relatively unusual to
being quite common. In 1947–48 there was an
average of only one vehicle per 7.8 persons; by
1999 this average had risen to one vehicle per
1.6 persons (graph 23.36). This increase in the
size of the fleet relative to the increase in
population mirrored the dramatic increase in
the 1920s up to the onset of the Great
Depression; the estimated average was one
vehicle per 45 persons in 1921, rising to one
vehicle per 11 persons in 1930. However, by
1939 the average had only risen further to one
vehicle per 7.8 persons.
New South Wales recorded the highest number
of registrations in 1947–48 with over a third of
the entire vehicle fleet, due primarily to its
higher population. Victoria accounted for 29%,
Queensland 16%, South Australia 11%, Western
Australia 7% and Tasmania 3%. In 1999, New
South Wales was still the leading State although
its proportion of total vehicle registrations had
fallen to 30%. Victoria’s and South Australia’s
shares (27% and 8% respectively) had also fallen
since 1947–48, while Tasmania’s had remained
steady. The significant rises in the proportion of
registrations in Queensland (19%), the
Australian Capital Territory (2%) and particularly
of Western Australia (11%) were a consequence
of changing population growth.
The average age of vehicles in the fleet was
estimated at 11.3 years in 1947–48, slightly
higher than the figure of 10.6 years in 1999. The
high average vehicle age in 1947–48 reflected
low production rates of vehicles during the war
period, and the resulting low rate of new vehicle
registrations at the time. In the intervening
period, this figure fell to an estimated age of
6.1 years in 1971 with the increasing numbers of
new vehicles joining the fleet. It then rose
steadily to reach a peak of 10.7 in both 1997 and
1998. Likely factors contributing to this rise
were the large increase in the proportion of
households with two or more vehicles, the
improved reliability of vehicles, enabling them
to be kept on the road longer, and the
increased cost of replacing vehicles.
In 1947–48, passenger vehicles accounted for
61% of the total vehicle fleet, with light
commercial vehicle and trucks together
accounting for 35%. By 1999 these figures had
changed to 81% and 18%, respectively.
The top five makes of passenger vehicles
accounted for 51% and the top 10 for 71% of all
registered passenger vehicles in 1947–48. The
top five makes were Chevrolet (16%), Ford
(16%), Vauxhall (7%), Dodge (6%) and Morris
(6%). By 1999 the top five makes together
accounted for 75% of total passenger vehicle
registrations. The top five makes were Ford with
21% of all passenger vehicle registrations,
Holden (20%), Toyota (17%), Mitsubishi (10%)
23.36 PERSONS PER MOTOR VEHICLE—1947 to 1999
Persons per vehicle
8
6
4
2
0
1947 1954 1961 1969 1976 1984 1991 1999
Source: Motor Vehicle Censuses, various years.