French industrial output fell a larger-than-expected 0.7 per cent in October, national statistics office INSEE said today.
In August, the temporary closure of a PSA Peugeot Citroen car plant drove a sharp drop in output, and production bounced back in September, jumping 3.2 per cent - its biggest rise in seven years.
In October, car output was down 2.2 per cent after recording a 22.4 per cent jump in September, INSEE said.
INSEE said industrial production excluding energy, agri-food businesses and construction, which it considers the best measure of manufacturing output, fell 0.7 per cent in October, compared with a rise of 4.0 in September.
It was up 2.2 per cent year-on-year. The rather downbeat figures came after other recent data provided a mixed picture about the speed of the French recovery.
French car sales rose 18 per cent in November, according to recent figures, which raised hopes of France's car industry gaining back some ground lost during disappointing months earlier in the year.