THE CRITICAL FACTS

Nearly two-fifths of all U.S. households (39.5 percent) purchased at least one aftermarket accessory for their vehicles in 2005, according to the "2005/2006 Aftermarket Factbook", published by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA).

 U.S. motor vehicle aftermarket sales increased by 5.4 percent in 2005 to $257 billion, according to the "2005/2006 Aftermarket Factbook", recently published by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA)

 “We expect the aftermarket to only get stronger in the years to come,” said AASA executive director Steve Handschuh. “Our industry is vital to keeping the 232 million vehicles on US roads running safely and efficiently and, ultimately, in keeping Americans productive and mobile.”

 Vehicles more than 10 years old account for the largest share of the dollars spent and provided the largest boost to 2005 overall aftermarket value. This category, along with the six- to 10-year-old vehicle group, is expected to continue to expand at a stable pace, while new to five-year-old vehicles are projected to decline in aftermarket volume through to 2010 according to AASA research director Frank Hampshire

 The light vehicle automotive aftermarket industry is expected to grow 4.2% in 2006, according to new research from the US Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA).

 During the first half of 2005, automotive (Factory & Dealer Associations) ad spending was over $6.7 billion, representing an increase of 7.4% compared to the same period in 2004. Nearly 80% ($5.3 billion) of all automotive dollars were placed in television, while 11% ($781 million) was in national magazines. Spending in cable TV grew 24%; leading the way was Ford who doubled their cable budget to $136 million, Volkswagen increasing their spending 238% to $35.5 million, and Honda reaching $71.3 million. Network Radio experienced a decline of 26.3%, partly due to Ford, Toyota, and DaimlerChrysler reducing their budgets in this medium in the first half of 2005. According to Neilsen Media Research

 Nielsen’s Product Placement tracking service showed significant growth in the integration of product occurrences in primetime broadcast network programming. The top 10 automotive brands in the product placement category totaled 2,636 occurrences in the first half of the year. Last year, the top 10 auto brands accounted for 1,925 placements.