Abstract
A demographic modeling is applied to car ownership behavior in seven countries, using series of Family Budget surveys. Estimates are made for age and generation effects, along with income and price effects reflecting the general economic context faced by households. The countries where car ownership developed very early (e.g., USA) are closer to saturation than the other countries. Saturation thresholds are likely to be lower in more densely populated areas or countries, and, over the life cycle, maximum levels of motorization seem to be observed later in dense countries than in the others. The projections for France show a decreasing growth rate for the household car fleet, which is more sensitive to changes in income than to changes in prices.