France

Renault, French unions close to labor deal, minister says

March 3, 2013 13:46 CET
Renault and French unions could clinch a labor agreement within days, France's industry minister said. Renault wants unions to accept measures including about 8,000 job cuts.... Read More »

 

Ford hurt most by French car sales decline

March 1, 2013 09:27 CET
Ford was hurt most by a steep decline in French car registrations in February as a weak economy continued to weigh on demand for new vehicles.... Read More »

 

PSA sees China turning into biggest market as Europe weakens

Feb. 26, 2013 06:01 CET
PSA predicts China will overtake France as its biggest market as early as 2015. The automaker expects to boost sales in China this year by 22 percent to 540,000 vehicles.... Read More »

 

PSA workers at Aulnay plant transferred early to avoid violence

Feb. 15, 2013 11:51 CET
PSA unions agreed to allow the carmaker start to move workers from its troubled Aulnay plant in response to violence and threats against staff ignoring a strike call.... Read More »

 

Europe's January car sales offer little hope of recovery

Feb. 14, 2013 06:01 CET
LMC Automotive says it sees little hope of auto sales recovering in Europe this year after registrations in January plunged 9.5 percent. LMC predicted western Europe's full-year sales will drop 4.1 percent this year to 11.27 million, the sixth continual year of decline.... Read More »

 

Renault and PSA 2012 financial results will put turnaround strategies in spotlight

Feb. 11, 2013 17:00 CET
The gravity of the French auto industry's crisis will be underlined this week by weak results at PSA/Peugeot-Citroen and Renault, boosting pressure on both for tougher cost-cutting moves.... Read More »

 

PSA bank unit gets temporary EU OK for bond guarantee

Feb. 11, 2013 12:34 CET
PSA's finance arm was granted temporary EU approval to receive a French government guarantee backing the issuance of 1.2 billion euros of new bonds. France must submit a restructuring plan covering the entire PSA group within six months to win final approval.... Read More »

 

PSA, Renault realities force French gov't rethink

Feb. 9, 2013 06:15 CET
With France on the brink of recession and PSA and Renault seeking to shed thousands of jobs, the country's government may be forced to follow Germany's path that helped Volkswagen to restructure.... Read More »

 

Auto execs turn away from EVs, focus r&d on downsizing, hybrids

Feb. 8, 2013 06:01 CET
Optimism about electric cars is fading as manufacturers scale back investment in response to weak sales. Just 8 percent of auto executives said their companies would invest in pure battery technologies over the next five years.... Read More »

 

Renault is confident a labor deal will be reached soon

Feb. 7, 2013 11:19 CET
Renault is confident it will reach a deal with unions next week to restructure the automaker's operations in France.... Read More »

 

PSA workers face threats from striking colleagues at doomed French plant

Feb. 7, 2013 14:28 CET
For workers on the assembly line at PSA's Aulnay plant near Paris, starting their shift has become a daily test of nerves.They face jeers and threats, as well as eggs and other objects hurled by striking colleagues protesting against the shutdown and PSA's restructuring plans... Read More »

 

Euro zone car markets likely to stabilize by mid-year, VDA says

Feb. 5, 2013 06:01 CET
The German automakers association, the VDA, expects euro zone car markets to stabilize in the middle of the year.... Read More »

 

Declining January car sales sink European upturn hopes

Feb. 1, 2013 10:51 CET
New-car sales extended their declines in France, Italy and Spain last month, leaving little hope of a European auto market rebound anytime soon.... Read More »

 

Goodyear will close French plant on Europe troubles

Jan. 31, 2013 11:49 CET
Goodyear will close its main French plant and cut its work force in the country by 39 percent amid labor disputes and plunging auto demand in Europe.... Read More »

 

Cutbacks at PSA and Renault meet growing resistance

Jan. 30, 2013 06:01 CET
Labor tensions at France's automakers took a turn for the worse as Renault workers protested over planned cuts and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen's restructuring plan hit a legal setback.... Read More »

 

PSA court ruling may delay job cuts

Jan. 29, 2013 12:30 CET
PSA will continue negotiating job cuts with unions despite a court ruling that ordered a temporary suspension of restructuring until the group completes worker consultations at two sites belonging to parts division Faurecia.... Read More »

 

Renault will build new Nissan hatchback in France, report says

Jan. 24, 2013 21:06 CET
Nissan plans to build its a new hatchback at one of alliance partner Renault's French factories, a French newspaper reported.... Read More »

 

French car orders fall 3% in December

Jan. 18, 2013 06:01 CET
French car orders fell 3 percent last month, led by declines at Renault and U.S. automakers, according to a dealership survey. The French auto market is expected to decline by up to 5 percent this year.... Read More »

 

PSA to work on efficiency gains at French factories

Jan. 18, 2013 06:01 CET
PSA plans to negotiate an accord with unions in the next few months to permit more flexible work conditions at its French factories as part of the effort to turn around the money-losing carmaker.... Read More »

 

Renault's French job-cutting plan gets better reception than PSA's

Jan. 17, 2013 06:01 CET
Renault's plan to cut 7,500 jobs in France to boost the competitiveness of its plants has had a better reception from the government than a similar move by rival PSA.... Read More »

 

Renault links French labor deal to Nissan, Daimler output

Jan. 10, 2013 10:46 CET
Renault may build vehicles in France for partners Nissan and Daimler if domestic employees agree to work an average 6.5 percent more, the carmaker told unions.... Read More »

 

France seeks EU approval for PSA aid, report says

Jan. 9, 2013 10:09 CET
The French government has officially sought approval from the European Union for its 7 billion euro ($9.2 billion) state loan guarantee for PSA's financing arm, a French newspaper reported today.... Read More »

 

Opel dismisses report of possible PSA takeover

Jan. 8, 2013 12:44 CET
Opel says a French newspaper report that cited government officials as saying PSA should buy the GM subsidiary is "pure speculation."... Read More »

 

PSA may sell Faurecia stake to reduce debt, analyst says

Jan. 7, 2013 12:19 CET
PSA may be forced to dispose of its stake in partsmaker Faurecia to further reduce its debt, a Paris-based analyst said on Monday.... Read More »

 

Car slump in France, Spain and Italy spells gloomy 2013

Jan. 3, 2013 06:01 CET
Car sales in France, Spain and Italy in 2012 fell to the lowest levels in years, with December registration data underscoring the challenges facing the broader European economy.... Read More »