Unused utility: An examination of SUV use in New Zealand from 1989 to 2006

摘要

This study analyses travel survey data from 1989 to 2006 to determine whether SUV use in New Zealand has become more 'car-like' and less commercial. The New Zealand Household Travel Survey of 1989/1990, 1997/1998 and 2003-2006 was the primary data source. Information on vehicle make and model was used to create a consistent SUV category across all years, which was compared with a sample of cars matched by owner age, gender and income, to control for confounding influences on use. The proportion of SUVs to cars in the New Zealand vehicle fleet increased by 7.3% from 1990 to 2006. The additional utility SUVs are perceived to provide did not differentiate their pattern of use from that of cars. Privately owned SUVs are used as a substitute for cars. Lower vehicle occupancy and similar proportions of recreational trips for SUVs and cars contradict reported reasons for SUV purchases. The extra utility SUVs provide appears to be utilised by a sub-group of traditional SUVs that continue to be used for commercial purposes.