On the heels of my post earlier this week regarding automobiles (http://peakoilmatters.com/2010/01/11/the-world-of-transportation/) and the impact on Peak Oil resulting from the increasing worldwide demand (notably in China and India), a recent article from the Financial Times notes the following:

China yesterday underlined the power shift from western car markets to Asia as data confirmed car sales in the country shot up  last year and the government said it expected a strong 2010.

Car sales rose by nearly 53 per cent to 10.3m while total vehicle sales – including buses, trucks and the small commercial vans  that powered much of last year’s growth – rose 46.2 per cent to 13.6m units.

This allowed China to coast past the US and become the leading global auto market, several years ahead of expectation. US  cars and light truck sales last year were 10.4m.

More demand for oil … and it’s not going to stop anytime soon. Just one of the many little facts about oil usage we ought to keep in mind.

Source:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ca637a30-ff1a-11de-a677-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check=1  – China vehicle sales underline power shift By Patti Waldmeir, January 12