The French government wants Stellantis to produce in France its electric compact, the Peugeot 208, Industry Minister Roland Lescure said Thursday on France Inter. "We have French manufacturers who have committed just before the Paris Motor Show to produce fifteen new models in France, the Renault 5, the 4L, the 308 will be produced in France," said the minister. "I would obviously like the 208 to be too, it is important for the French people, and the employees of Stellantis," continued Roland Lescure. "It's a constant fight, we have discussions that are also, I would say, very sporting."
The small 208, No. 1 in its segment in Europe with nearly 50,000 units sold in 2022, is currently manufactured in Slovakia, in the Trnava plant. Small-series production has also just begun at the Zaragoza plant in Spain, alongside the Opel Crossland and Citroën C3 Aircross SUVs, according to Spanish media outlet Tribuna de Automoción.
Stellantis did not confirm this information on Thursday. But the boss of Stellantis Carlos Tavares had seemed to close the door to a production in France early June, after the publication of an article of the Echoes on the subject. "We announced that twelve electric vehicles would be manufactured on French sites," Carlos Tavares told reporters at his Rennes plant. "We have converted the engine site in Trémery, that of Metz for electric transmissions. We open a Gigafactory in Douvrin. What more can I do? Asking me to put my business at risk?
»The France, "more attractive than ever"
The government has made the relocation of car production one of its priorities, with a target of two million vehicles produced in France by 2030. According to Roland Lescure, "today the France is more attractive than ever, but it is in an extremely strong competition with other countries, so we bring out all our assets to attract the best, obviously Elon Musk", the boss of Tesla, announced at the Parisian show VivaTech Friday.
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We are not in a logic of demand or requirement, we are in a logic of negotiation with three nerves of war, "said Roland Lescure. "Subsidies, we give like other countries to decarbonize industry, but especially land and carbon-free and cheap electricity. And on these two points of view, we have a competitive advantage, "he said.