French car sales slumped 35% in July as a semiconductor shortage curbed inventory in one of Europe’s biggest markets. France recorded 115,713 passenger-car registrations for the month, the industry group Plateforme Automobile said Sunday. For the first seven months of the year, registrations rose 16% over the same period in 2020, when sales were depressed during the first wave of the pandemic. The sluggish result is a further indication that Europe’s auto-industry recovery is slower than the rebound seen in the U.S. and China. The latest data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association showed almost 2 million fewer cars were sold in the region during the first half compared with two years ago. Renault SA on Friday forecast disruptions in the supply of chips would curtail output this year by about […]