Renault halts Moscow production in face of Russian car sales slump

PARIS: French carmaker Renault will stop production at its Moscow factory for three weeks in response to a slump Russian car sales, a company spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Output will halt at the Avtoframos plant between Feb. 16 and March 6, the spokeswoman said, confirming German media reports.

Carmakers including Ford and General Motors have been hit by a deep decline in the Russian auto market under the weight of Western sanctions and a weakening rouble.

Russian car sales may fall a further 25-35 percent this year, accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers said on Monday, after a 10 percent drop in 2014.