Stellantis halts output at French assembly plants over EV battery shortages

French assembly plants affected by October stoppages

Automaker Stellantis informed employee representatives on 29 September 2026 that it will temporarily suspend manufacturing across several assembly sites in France during October. The eastern plant in Sochaux, located in the Doubs department, will halt production from 23 October to 30 October 2026, idling assembly lines for the Peugeot 3008 and Peugeot 5008 sport utility vehicles. In western France, operations at the Rennes-La Janais plant in Ille-et-Vilaine will stop between 22 October and 30 October 2026, disrupting assembly of the Citroën C5 Aircross. The manufacturer also scheduled a production halt at its Mulhouse facility in Haut-Rhin from 15 October to 30 October 2026, alongside a shorter closure at the Poissy factory from 19 October to 23 October 2026.

Battery supply constraints and EV order volumes

The manufacturing pauses at Sochaux and Rennes stem primarily from an acute deficit of battery packs engineered for extended-range electric vehicles. Stellantis procures these long-range cells through Automotive Cells Company (ACC), a joint-venture battery producer co-owned with Mercedes-Benz and TotalEnergies. Although ACC operates a battery manufacturing site in France, the consortium previously halted plans to build additional facilities in Germany and Italy following a prolonged downturn in regional electric vehicle purchases. Stellantis stated that demand for long-range electric SUV models has rebounded sharply, particularly among fleet purchasers, surpassing current component availability and creating risks of unbalanced vehicle inventories.

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.

A Stellantis spokesperson added that despite substantial production progress at ACC, the automaker has not yet received an adequate volume of battery units to sustain uninterrupted vehicle assembly.

Market imbalances and European factory disruptions

The surge in European electric vehicle demand follows escalating armed conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, which disrupted oil tanker transit through the Strait of Hormuz and drove French retail petrol and diesel prices to record levels. While demand climbed for long-range battery models, customer appetite for other product lines weakened, prompting Stellantis to shut Mulhouse for the final two weeks of October due to soft sales of the Peugeot 308 and planned model phase-outs. The French disruptions mirror wider industrial adjustments across the automaker's European network. Stellantis has operated its Melfi plant in southern Italy intermittently due to component shortages, and announced temporary layoffs at its Mirafiori facility in northern Italy from 19 October to 30 October 2026 due to elevated local energy costs and sluggish demand for the hybrid Fiat 500.

Union concerns over wages and cumulative downtime

The planned work stoppages drew swift pushback from labor unions representing automotive personnel in France. At the Rennes facility, the CFDT union noted that the scheduled seven-day October stoppage adds to twelve days of technical unemployment already accumulated since early 2026, which included a springtime shutdown triggered by supply shortfalls of hybrid gearboxes. Laurent Valy, a CFDT representative speaking to Ici Armorique, warned that combining reduced wages from short-time work with higher consumer fuel prices threatens household budgets and risks creating severe workplace friction across manufacturing communities.

These seven days of technical unemployment add to the dozen days already recorded since the beginning of the year.