Mr Hollande said that the state would not be "indifferent" to Peugeot's decision to slash 8,000 jobs and close its Aulnay plant near Paris in 2014.

Speaking on national television, the French president insisted that he would press the company to amend the plan. “The plan in the current state is not acceptable, it won’t be accepted,” he said.

Mr Hollande, who took office in May, said the government had asked experts to assess the struggling carmaker's finances and make recommendations for the company.

Peugeot denied this week that it asked for a bail-out from the government, after reports in the French press suggested that the carmaker had "asked for a loan" from the state in return for a stake in the company.

However, Mr Hollande said on Saturday that the government would consider broader measures to help automakers and create incentives for consumers to buy French cars.