No recovery in sight for Western European market - Sales of new cars in Western Europe plunged by 9.5% in January 2013, to around 851,000 units and according to LMV Automotive, continuing last year's downward trend. This level corresponds to annual sales of 10.5 million units, the worst performance since 1987. Among all the major markets, only the United Kingdom has managed to buck this trend with an 11.5% increase in the sales of new cars. France, on the other hand, has experienced a particularly bad result and has seen sales fall by 15%, equating to annual sales of 1.6 million vehicles, despite the fact that, historically, the French market always sees sales of cars at around the 2 million mark. Germany has also recorded falls on the market of almost 9%. Spain, above all, continues its descent into hell, with volumes once again plunging by 10%, which means that market levels are now 60% below the level they were before the crisis. Although January is rarely a month for big spending on new cars, LMV believes that these poor results indicate a “difficult year” ahead for the sector. It forecasts that the European market throughout 2013 will fall by 4.1%. The situation is even more difficult given that the individual car market fell more rapidly than the car fleet sales market. This previously accounted for two thirds of the European market but now only accounts for 50%. (IL/transl.fl)