The change in the mix of vehicles on U.S. roads has notable consequences for several key aspects of the automotive aftermarket
Fort Wayne, Ind.—U.S. light-vehicle VIO (vehicles in operation) climbed less than 4% nationwide between 2020 and 2025. However, beneath the overall performance, notable changes occurred through four light-vehicle groups: foreign and domestic nameplate cars, and foreign and domestic nameplate light trucks.
Those changes ranged from nearly a 30% population increase to a drop of 31%, which has altered the nation’s mix of light vehicles, according to the latest Lang Aftermarket iReport.
“These historic changes in the mix of vehicles in just five years have significant consequences that will be reshaping many aspects of the aftermarket and its product volume for years,” states the analysis, adding that the four groups generated more than $230 billion in aftermarket product and service volume in 2025.
The following are highlights from the report.
Cars are Disappearing
• Cars (domestic and foreign nameplates) accounted for 42% of the 2020 VIO. At mid-year 2025, their VIO share decreased by more than 20%.
• As the declining share of cars on the road is accelerating, domestic nameplates account for the lion’s share of the drop in VIO.
Light Truck VIO Grows
• Light trucks (vans, pickups, SUVs, and CUVs) accounted for 58% of light vehicles in the U.S. at mid-year 2020. Their VIO share climbed rapidly, topping 66% in 2025.
• Over those five years, light trucks drove all the nation’s light-vehicle VIO growth, while the population of passenger cars fell by tens of millions.
Shifting Light Vehicle Nameplate Mix
• As the car and light truck mix changed between 2020 and 2025, many of those changes centered on foreign and domestic nameplates.
• Domestic nameplate cars and light trucks represented 52% of light vehicles in the U.S. at mid-year 2020, down nearly 20% in VIO share since 2010.
• Foreign nameplates accounted for less than 40% of light vehicles at mid-year 2010. Lang Marketing estimates that foreign nameplates topped 50% of cars and light trucks on U.S. roads in 2025, while domestic nameplates accounted for just over 49%.
Domestic Nameplate Car VIO Decrease
• The domestic nameplate car population fell by more than 15 million between 2020 and 2025 as the nation’s overall VIO climbed by 10 million.
Domestic nameplate cars decreased from a 16% population share in 2020 to under 11% by 2025. “No major vehicle segment has ever collapsed to this degree and so suddenly,” Lang states.
Foreign Nameplates Dominate Car VIO
• Foreign nameplate cars have climbed from 62% to over 67% of all cars in the U.S. between 2020 and 2025. Nevertheless, their numbers fell by nearly 4 million as the total car population dropped by 20 million.
• Foreign nameplates have dominated the U.S. passenger car market. However, the passenger car VIO has considerably decreased while the light truck population, both domestic and foreign nameplates, significantly escalates.
Domestic Nameplate Light-Truck Growth
• Domestic nameplates captured a large share of new light-truck sales over the past 10 years, boosting its VIO count. From 2020 to 2025, domestic nameplate light trucks increased their share of all vehicles in operation, as their population climbed by more than 10 million.
• However, domestic nameplates fell as a percentage of light trucks on the road, as they didn’t keep pace with overall light-truck VIO growth, driven by the increase in foreign nameplates.
Foreign Nameplate Light Trucks Increase
• In 2020, foreign nameplate cars outnumbered foreign nameplate light trucks by more than 10 million. By 2025, the situation had reversed, with foreign nameplate light trucks topping foreign nameplate cars by over 11 million.
• The population of foreign nameplate light trucks grew by more than 25% between 2020 and 2025, while foreign nameplate cars fell by 5%, reflecting the overall decline in passenger cars in the new-vehicle market.
Shift in the Light Vehicle VIO Mix
• From 2020 to 2025, the mix of foreign and domestic cars and light trucks shifted by over 70%. At the same time, the total VIO climbed by less than 4%.
• Light trucks drove all light-vehicle population growth over these 10 years, while foreign nameplates dominated light-truck growth.
Aftermarket Impact of the Shifting Vehicle Mix
The change in the mix of vehicles on U.S. roads has notable consequences for several key aspects of the aftermarket, according to Lang.
- The significant increase in the VIO share of light trucks will accelerate aftermarket product volume, as they average higher aftermarket product volume per vehicle than cars.
- The growth of foreign nameplates will shift the aftermarket product brand mix.
- The increasing population of foreign nameplates will also change the strength of major auto repair outlet types and where DIYers buy the products they install.
- These marketplace changes will shift product flow among the five major distribution channels supplying the light-vehicle aftermarket.
Comments are closed.