Carmaker Stellantis to pause production at French factories over battery shortage

​Stellantis will pause production ​at three of its ‌French ​factories for at least a week, the automaker said on Tuesday, due ‌partly to a shortage of batteries for electric vehicles made at the plants.

The factory in Sochaux in eastern France will ‌shut from October 23 to 30 because of a battery ‌shortage for long-range versions of EVs, the company said in a statement. "Demand for these versions is strong — particularly among fleet customers — and ⁠continues to ​exceed current ⁠supply capabilities. Against this backdrop, we are temporarily adjusting our production schedule ⁠to remain aligned with market needs and avoid building up vehicle ​inventory that does not match customer demand," Stellantis said, adding ⁠that it was a one-off measure.

The Rennes factory will also close ⁠from ​October 22 to 30 for the same reason, with the situation particularly affecting the Citroën C5 Aircross, while ⁠the Mulhouse plant will halt production from October 15 to 30. Factory ⁠employees were ⁠informed of the suspensions earlier on Tuesday.