Insee Première · December 2025 · n° 2083

The weight of the French automotive value chain: 329,000 employees and 1.1% of GDP

The French automotive value chain combined the core activities of vehicle design, manufacturing, conversion and recycling activities, with the activities of the various upstream suppliers contributing to the production of automobile vehicles. In 2023, the industrial components contributed predominantly to the value chain, accounting for 77% of the dedicated jobs located in France. Overall, the value chain generated a value added of 31.2 billion euros, representing 1.1% of French GDP, and consisted of around 4,000 companies. Within these companies, 329,000 people were dedicated to the automotive value chain, a quarter of which in the automotive manufacturing industry.

Production costs, low demand in France and, to a lesser extent, recruitment difficulties were reported to hamper activity in the context of transition towards electric vehicles.

Regarding the future of the activity in France, respondents expressed concerns about rising production costs, customer indecision due to regulatory uncertainty over the phasing out of combustion engines, competitive pressure from abroad and evolving demand.

The majority of jobs in the automotive value chain (60%) were concentrated in the north and east of the country.