Helped by an explosion of demand in Germany, a new sales record of 145,000 heavy-goods vehicle trailers vehicles will be set for the seven largest economies, or 175,000 units for Western Europe as a whole, according to CLEAR, a consulting group working with companies active in automotive markets.
It had been thought that the trailer market would take a breather in 2006. Forecasts woefully understated the potential for growth in the German economy during 2006, and have been continuously revised throughout the year. By the end of the year, the German transport industry will have bought 52,000 trailers and semi-trailers. Furthermore, German trailer manufacturers will have exported over 50,000 units, bringing production in Germany to over 100,000 units for the first time.