This is the finding of the current WinFor study, which the market research and consulting company R. L. Polk Germany is now presenting to its clients.

However, achieving this milestone is only an intermediate step to further growth. Despite environmental concerns, the global vehicle numbers will increase by about twenty per cent over the next seven years until 2015.

Growth on the American continent is the slowest at eight percent, with growth in Asia the strongest at 43 per cent. Twenty-five per cent of all global vehicles (about 280 million) will be driving on Asian roads. The corresponding share of Europe and the Americas will be at 33 per cent. According to Polk forecasts, well over 370 million vehicles will be in operation on each of these continent by early 2015.

The 15 per cent growth in Europe from 2008 until 2015 will be the result of momentous increases in Eastern Europe. There the vehicle numbers will increase by 33 per cent, whereas that of Western Europe will increase by “only” eight percent.