[Graeme]

Here is a good site with world vehicle production statistics for a variety of vehicles for the period 1997-2004. Two obvious trends are a decline (ca30%) in production in passenger vehicles in USA, and a large increase (20-35%) in production in Asia (particularly China and India).

For data 1997-2002: http://www.autoindustry.co.uk/statistic ... tion/world

2003-2004: http://www.oica.net/htdocs/Main.htm

The International Organisation for Motor Vehicle Manufacturers also has an excellent summary for projected trends in fuel quality:
http://www.oica.net/htdocs/Main.htm

This organisation does accept that the fuel mix for vehicles is going to change. The initiative is mainly from UK and EU. They are seriously looking at hydrogen as a fuel for the future but for the short and medium term existing fuels and hydrids will be used. A wide variety of fuels are discussed along with a possible time-frame for introduction of new fuels (Figure 1). The appendix has data on fuel specifications from EU and USA. To wet your appetite, here is the table of contents:

Executive Summary and Key Recommendations
1 Introduction
Aims of FFSG
2 Drivers for change
3 Limitations to/Restraints on Change
4 Technologies current and future
5 Fuels Options – A discussion
6 The Way Forward – Towards A Shared Vision
Fig 1 Introduction timetable
7 Implications For The Competitiveness Of UK Industry
8 Recommendations
Annex
Introduction
1 Electricity and Electric Vehicles
2 Hydrogen
3 Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles
4 Hydrogen Internal Combustion Vehicles
5 Conventional Liquid Fuels - Diesel
5A Reformulated Diesel
5B Modified fuels, water in diesel emulsions
5C Alcohol emulsions (diesel or gasoline)
6 Conventional Gasoline
6A Reformulated Gasoline
7 Biofuels general
8 Biodiesel
9 Biogas
10 Oxygenates, e.g. MTBE
11 Bioethanol
12 Methanol
13 Dimethyl Ether and Dimethoxy-ethane
14 Dimethoxy-methane
15 Liquid Petroleum Gas
16 Combinations of Fuels: Bi Fuel, Dual Fuel (Mixed Fuel)
17 Natural Gas – compressed, liquefied
18 Gas To Liquid
19 Hybrid Electric Vehicles including Mybrids
20 Solar Energy
Case Study – development of LPG vehicles/fuel supply infrastructure
Appendix
1 Table of vehicles in the UK - Dec 2000 by fuel system
2 Possible Introduction Timetable for New Fuels
3 Biodiesel fuel specification Europe
4 Biodiesel fuel specification USA
5 Ethanol/Methanol, properties, comparisons - USA
6 DMM and DME
7 Euro gasoline 2000/2005
8 LPG typical commercial properties
9 NG quick reference fuel comparison
10 NG fuel characteristics
11 Energy production and greenhouse gases
12 Reformulated diesel e.g. Fischer Tropsch
13 MTBE
14 US gasohol/oxyfuel/reformulated gasoline
15 Water emulsions French Specification
16 Gas To Liquid
17 Well To Wheel Comparisons – example
18 Gas properties
19 Types of Fuel Cell