U.S. motor vehicle aftermarket sales grew by 5 percent in 2005 to $267.6 billion, the largest increase since 2000, according to the 2006/2007 Aftermarket Factbook, recently published by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA).
"We're extremely pleased to see steady growth in aftermarket sales while the new car dealerships' share continues to slide for the fifth consecutive year," said Kathleen Schmatz, AAIA president and CEO. "And contrary to the frequent prediction that DIY is dying, our data shows that the DIY side of the industry grew by a healthy 5.6 percent."
Industry growth was led by the medium and heavy duty segment, which expanded 6.2 percent to $70.6 billion. The automotive light vehicle segment increased 4.6 percent to $197 billion.
