Stellantis to suspend production in France and Italy due to EV battery shortages
Stellantis will temporarily halt production at three French and two Italian plants. At two of the factories, the direct cause is a shortage of batteries for electric vehicles, Reuters reported. The stoppages will affect plants producing, among others, the Peugeot 3008, Peugeot 5008 and Citroën C5 Aircross.
The Sochaux plant in eastern France will be closed from October 23 to 30, while the Rennes plant in western France will be shut from October 22 to 30. In both cases, the company cited insufficient supplies of long-range batteries.
Sochaux produces, among other models, the Peugeot 3008 and Peugeot 5008. The battery shortage is limiting the plant’s ability to maintain production of these models at the planned level. At Rennes, the issue primarily affects the Citroën C5 Aircross.
Stellantis uses batteries supplied by Automotive Cells Company (ACC), a joint venture established by Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz and TotalEnergies. The company operates a battery manufacturing facility in France.
Stellantis has also announced a production stoppage at its Mulhouse plant in eastern France. Production there will be suspended from October 15 to 30, although the company said the decision was not related to a battery shortage.
"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 production problems also extend to Stellantis’ Italian plants. The Mirafiori factory in Turin, northwestern Italy, is scheduled to shut down for two weeks at the end of October. The same plant already experienced production stoppages in August and September. Stellantis attributed those disruptions to shortages of engine components, while trade unions also pointed to weaker-than-expected demand for the Fiat 500, which is produced at Mirafiori.
The series of stoppages shows that Stellantis is dealing with both supply-chain disruptions and changing demand for individual models. In the case of the French plants, the availability of batteries required for electric vehicle production is currently a key constraint.
