Auto industry stages big-time comeback.

• Position: Global Economy

The world's automobile industry saw production and sales soar in 2010 following a precipitous plunge in 2008-09, according to the latest Vital Signs study from the Worldwatch Institute, Washington, D.C.

The top four auto producers--China, Japan, the U.S., and Germany--continue to account for the majority (53%) of global production, although China's accelerated growth has eclipsed all other contenders. That country has more than tripled light vehicle production since 2005, reaching 16,800,000 in 2010, as many as are produced in the U.S. and Japan combined.

Worldwide, industry analysts expect production of light vehicles to experience strong growth in the coming years. An analysis by Pricewater-house-Coopers Autofacts projects 93,500,000 by 2015, with 21,400,000 of those coming from China, 10,500,000 from the U.S., and 9,200,000 from Japan. In 2011, analysts expect total sales in the so-called BRIC nations--Brazil, Russia, India, and China--to surpass total sales from Western Europe and Japan for the first time.

Other key findings in the report include:

* An estimated 669,000,000 passenget cars now are on the world's roads. Including light- and heavy-duty trucks, the number is 949,000,000.

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