Stellantis halts work at three French plants over batteries

Stellantis announced it will pause production at three of its factories in France for at least one week, a decision driven partly by a shortage of electric vehicle batteries. The Sochaux plant in eastern France, which makes the Peugeot 3008 and Peugeot 5008 sport utility vehicles, will suspend operations from October 23 to October 30 due to an insufficient supply of long-range batteries.

The automaker stated that demand for these vehicle configurations remains strong, particularly among corporate fleets, and exceeds current delivery capacity. Stellantis said this temporary adjustment aligns production with market demand and prevents unbalanced inventories. Meanwhile, the Rennes plant will halt operations from October 22 to October 30, with supply bottlenecks primarily impacting output of the Citroën C5 Aircross.

Stellantis buys its long-range batteries from Automotive Cells Co (ACC), a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz and TotalEnergies. ACC has a facility in France, though it previously shelved projects in Italy and Germany when electric demand slowed. A Stellantis spokesperson stated that battery delivery rates remain insufficient. In response, ACC noted that its output in September should match its entire production volume from 2025, maintaining that its ramp-up meets contract commitments.

Separately, the Mulhouse facility will halt operations between October 15 and October 30 for reasons unrelated to battery supply. These disruptions follow a planned two-week shutdown in late October at the Mirafiori complex in Turin, Italy, where workers face temporary layoffs. That Italian site, which assembles the Fiat 500 city car, also experienced stoppages in August and September.