The latest report from industry consultants Autopolis makes gloomy reading. The title “A sharp decline to come: the outlook for the global vehicle industry to 2005 and 2010” says it all. It predicts that car and truck sales will drop by 11% from their peak before the end of next year. That is six million units, or the equivalent of the whole Japanese market and the report predicts fundamental changes to come in the world’s auto industry.