Economic bellwether: Vehicle registrations rise

Vehicle registrations rose 14.7 percent in 2013, up from 2012, according to the just-released Hawaii Auto Outlook report.

Hawaii’s 14.7 jump compares to the 9 percent increase nationwide.

Cars comprised 50.8 percent of the 48,766 vehicle registrations in 2013, while 49.2 percent were light trucks.

Japanese models led the way with 62.1 percent of all vehicle registrations in 2013, up 0.8 percent from 2012. Domestic brands made up 20.3 percent of vehicle registrations, up 1.2 from 2012, representing the largest increase in market share for 2013.

Car and truck sales have been on the rise since Hawaii’s automobile dealers saw their worst year in recent history in 2010 with only 32,668 vehicles registered.

The Hawaii Auto Outlook forecast for 2014 projects auto sales of 51,500 vehicles.