For a long time already, one has the impression that one does not necessarily play the main role as auto consumer in Europe, not even at the European or even German manufacturers. It would be time to substantiate this feeling by numbers or to expose as prejudice.

First of all, we should check the inventory (Fig. 1), before we look at the new car registrations.

Nonetheless one would not have expected Europe so clearly before USA. In Germany the number is even higher with 60.5 cars per 100 inhabitants. Perhaps it is also due to the large cities such as New York, where e.g. in Manhattan 80 percent manage it without a car.

In our country Russia is often thrown with China into a pot, but the difference 24 to 4 is still enormous in the reality. Now you see why China is so much in the focus of manufacturers. That would India even more if the economy there would promise more purchasing power. And look at the huge white spot Africa (see charts above).

That one finds plenty of space to drive a car in the U.S., may not necessarily be surprising, but that Brazil is marginally just before Europe well. After all, we have excellent conditions with only 88 inhabitants per 100 km in Germany, for such a much smaller country than the U.S..

And now you can understand perhaps that Japanese cars travel relatively few kilometers per year. From there some problems are reported in upper class models, which are associated with a low degree of use.

Now you can clearly see where the energy saving and the prevention of global warming is heeded fewest. China is fortunate that the data apply only to the traffic and the year 2011. In fact, one is now already risen up. Europe with a population of more than half a billion people would do well to continue to work on the climate targets.

Fuel saving is already rewarded not only at the petrol station, but also by the motor vehicle tax e.g. in Germany. This is even more important when probably be introduced for German motorists vignettes from next year in order not unilaterally to penalize foreigners. Also the current road tax is based on the CO₂ pollution in Germany.