nsidered in a global context, has retrenched since 2001. In Europe, actual demand for medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks was stronger in 2002 than had been predicted. As the predictions had been lowered approximately 25 percent from pre-2001 estimates, however, this better than expected performance was not as positive as it appeared to be on the surface.
While global and regional economic performance, the potential for terrorist attacks, and the uncertainty of fuel supplies all affect the demand for medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks, another important effect on the demand for these trucks is the ability of potential buyers to obtain timely financing that meets their specific needs and which is available at affordable costs. A variety of customer financing programs exist for application in the medium-duty and heavy-duty truck market. Not all manufacturers and distributors of these trucks offer such financing programs, however, and comparable programs offered
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