Autos boost official French industrial output

The auto sector put spring into French industrial output in August which jumped 1.8 per cent from the level in July, official data has showed.

The surge followed two months of only slight recovery, the official statistics institute INSEE said.

In August, activity in the French auto sector leapt by 18.2 per cent after a weakening of the effect of a government reward scheme for trading in old cars, to support the industry at the height of the economic crisis.

Meanwhile, overall manufactured output, including production by the agricultural and food sectors, rose by 1.9 per cent in August from the level in July after an increase of 0.8 per cent in July from the level in June.

Industrial production in June to August was down by 11.8 per cent overall compared to the same period a year earlier.