The platinum group metals not only have investment qualities,  he said, but are “industrial metals in tight supply.”  Most automobiles sold all over the world now require catalytic converters to curb pollution, boosting the attractiveness of the metals, Christian said.

Demand  in China and India will skyrocket  again  2010,   said  Christian and sales in the U.S. will likely increase by 10% to 15%, although that would  only be about 1 to 1.5 million cars. Sales in other emerging countries will also rise, he said, with Europe and Japan weak to flat.