PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that measures announced to help the country’s car industry recover from the coronavirus crisis were worth more than 8 billion euros ($8.8 billion).
Macron said France wants to become the leading producer of clean cars in Europe.
“We need a motivational goal: Make France Europe’s top producer of clean vehicles by bringing output to more than 1 million electric and hybrid cars per year over the next five years,” Macron told a news conference at a Valeo parts factory in northern France.
France will increase the state bonus for consumers buying electric cars to 7,000 euros from 6,000 euros, Macron said, as part of 1 billion euros earmarked to boost demand after coronavirus lock downs. Plug-in hybrid vehicles will be eligible for a 2,000 euro bonus.
Some of that money will be set aside for car owners who trade-in older, higher-polluting cars for cleaner new or used ones. Macron said the program could fund 200,000 vehicles,…
