The Chinese forklift market surpassed Japan's last year.

According to statistics from the China Construction Machinery Association, the total number of forklifts sold in China in 2006 was 106,669 units.

Of the total, 83,595 (78.3 per cent) were internal combustion forklifts, 14,447 were electric counterbalanced forklifts and 8,427 were electric narrow aisle forklifts.

Figures from the World Industrial Truck Statistics alliance showed 88,419 forklifts were sold in Japan in 2006 (Forkliftaction.com News #303).

Senior manager of the Japanese Industrial Vehicles Association Ken'ichiro Takase had predicted in an exclusive interview with Forkliftaction.com News that the Chinese forklift market would overtake Japan's in 2006 (Forkliftaction.com News #303).

The US is the world's biggest single-country forklift market. According to a well-placed industry source, about 200,000 forklifts were sold in the US in 2006.