Dealers keen on tracking aftermarket progress may be interested to know that overall gas consumption for 2023 was nearly 43 million cubic metres — 17.3% above the lowest point seen in the 2020 pandemic year, and 1.1% above 2019 results.
That is according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, which said in its latest update that kilometres driven is one of the key dynamics for the automotive aftermarket. This is because of the noteworthy influential effect it has on vehicle maintenance cycles for a range of aftermarket product areas.
“What makes this growth even more impressive is the continually improving fuel economy of the fleet,” said DAC. Its analysis revealed that PHEVs and BEVs accounted for approximately 0.5% and 1.5% of the fleet as of 2023. These are vehicles that obviously use less gas, if any. (However, the fuel economy of ICE vehicles is also improving.)
DAC said it was able to track the variable (kilometres driven) through a number of inputs, including consumer surveys, geo-mobility data, and gas consumption. It considers gasoline among the variables that factor into its kilometres driven forecast.
“Clearly Canadians are continuing to use their vehicles at high levels,” said Andrew King, Managing Partner at DAC, in a statement. “Even with a gradually changing fleet, gasoline consumption demonstrates that Canadians remain reliant on their vehicles and that broader usage patterns remain strong; a positive sign for the automotive aftermarket.”
