Stellantis to halt four French plants for several days amid parts shortages

Car manufacturer Stellantis has announced it will halt production at four of its French plants for between five and fifteen days in October due to industrial reasons, specifically a shortage of certain batteries for the long-range versions of its electric vehicles. The production halt is expected to take place at the historic Peugeot plant in Sochaux, Rennes, Mulhouse, and Poissy.

The decision to halt production at the Sochaux plant, located in eastern France, is set to begin on October 23rd and last until October 30th. This plant is known for building upmarket SUVs and has been experiencing high demand from business customers for its vehicles. Stellantis has also highlighted the fact that its capacity to secure parts supplies has been exceeded, contributing to the decision.

The plant in Rennes will shut down from October 22nd to October 30th, while the one in Mulhouse will be affected from October 15th to October 30th. The Mulhouse site is set to receive a significant investment of 400 million euros out of a one-billion-euro investment package in France announced by the group in June. Stellantis plans to start assembling three new models there in 2029, including saloons and compact SUVs.

The CGT union has criticized the decision to resort to short-time working, urging the company to keep employees, including agency workers, reduce line speeds, and improve working conditions and train employees instead. At the Poissy plant in the Paris region, production will stop from October 19th to October 23rd to adjust production to market demand as part of a fine-tuned stock management strategy.

In April, the group had announced that it would end production of its electric vehicle at this site by 2028, focusing on producing and recycling parts and preparing and converting vehicles instead.