Fiat to Idle Plants

Fiat SpA, 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. Sales in Europe's second-biggest car market fell 19.5 percent in June, a sixth straight monthly decline, as record oil prices and a slowing economy put consumers off buying. Registrations at Turin-based Fiat declined 16.5 percent to 60,220 vehicles.