The latest provisional car sales figures released for Western Europe show that the market went in to decline in April. Is the market finally on the turn? If so, why?…and who are the early winners and losers in 2000? Read just-auto's analysis to find out... Provisional figures released by ACEA show that car sales in Western Europe were some 7% down in April 2000 against the same month of last year. But don't be too alarmed. It is not as serious as it sounds. The number of working days this year was 2-3 days less in many countries due to when Easter and its public holidays fell. The year-on-year comparison for the month is therefore distorted. If that effect is stripped out, much of the reduction disappears. In reality, the market in April was virtually flat against last year. That means that the market is still running at a fairly high level, but also that growth is easing. This is hardly surprising after the phenomenal strength of the market over the last two years.