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Fiat to shut plants as economy, fuel costs hurt sales

ON THE BRINK Bloomberg / New Delhi July 09, 2008, 0:12 IST Italy's biggest carmaker, will close four of its six auto plants in the country for three weeks between September and November because of slumping sales. The closures will affect factories in Mirafiori, Termini Imerese, Pomigliano and Melfi, a company official said today. The sites employ a total of 22,000 people, or about three-quarters of Fiat Auto's Italian workforce.