Leading automotive industry experts are predicting that the next 15 years will bring greater growth for global car manufacturers, but not without significant challenges to adapt to the circumstances in which the market must operate.

A Wall Street Journal special report by Joseph B White recently forecast that, by 2020 or sooner, the number of cars and light trucks in use globally will have reached one billion, over 25 per cent more vehicles than are on the road today.

Despite the writing on the wall becoming more difficult to ignore by the year - detailing congestion, pollution and scarcity of resources – cars are still seen as powerful status symbols that are little short of essential to lifestyle in most people's eyes.

Measures to curb emissions, recycle materials and ease impending gridlock have been passed in a number of cities in Europe and the US, though most agree that their effects must be monitored and compared over the longer-term before conclusions are drawn.

Burgeoning economies such as China and India are now seeing high levels of demand for car ownership, which is not yet checked by the same regulation as countries with over-burdened road networks.

Car manufacturers are increasingly focusing on fuel efficiency to grab a greater share of the market, as oil prices climb and reserves dwindle. In the UK, prices at the pump have topped £1 per litre on occasion, presenting a real challenge to the lifestyle a car appears to promise.

Although this could explain current declining revenues in car sales, Paul Ballew, executive director of market and industry analysis at General Motors, said to the Wall Street Journal: "There's a perception the industry is stagnant."

In reality, he believes, the auto industry's challenge in the next few years will be "managing growth".


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