Insee Analyses · February 2026 · n° 116

The manufacturing automotive value chain in France from 2010 to 2023: between decline and adaptation

Between 2010 and 2023, employment in companies belonging to the manufacturing automotive value chain, comprising car manufacturers and their industrial suppliers, fell by 33%, while it remained virtually stable (-1%) for the rest of the manufacturing industry.

This decline in employment was similar among car manufacturers (35%) and suppliers (32%). It affected all regions, sectors and occupations in the value chain.

The industrial suppliers most dependent on the automotive value chain in 2010 were those that lost the most employees and most often ceased their activity. Among companies supplying the value chain in 2010 and 2023, employment declined less sharply among those that modernised their production facilities.

Within a given industrial sub-sector, suppliers to the value chain were more inclined to export and were slightly more established in countries where French manufacturers were present than companies outside the value chain. However, since 2010, these relative differences had stopped increasing.

Finally, in 2023, three‑quarters of the value chain’s industrial suppliers were already contributing to the electric vehicle value chain for part of their business. Employment among battery manufacturers grew significantly between 2020 and 2023, gaining 1,000 full‑time equivalents (FTEs), a small level, however, compared to the value chain as a whole.