The meeting, scheduled for Monday, comes as the French automotive industry and its suppliers contend with a drop demand for diesel vehicles.

The Rodez plant, which employs about 1,600 people, is heavily exposed to the diesel downturn.

"I'll make him (Denner) two requests: the first is that he makes a new investment on one of the two production lines ... the second thing I'd like to obtain from him is a diversification of the activity," Le Maire said on the Europe 1 radio station.

Sales of diesel cars have been undermined by the Volkswagen (>> Volkswagen) 2015 emissions scandal, driving a shift in consumers' focus from fuel efficiency to cleaner vehicles.

"We can see that the diesel sector is in the midst of a revolution, it's 12,000 direct jobs in France, it's huge," said Le Maire, adding that he would also seek support from French carmakers Renault (>> Renault) and PSA (>> Peugeot).

Renault did not immediately reply to a request seeking comment. A spokesman for PSA said the group did not source injectors from the Bosch factory in Rodez.

(Reporting by Gilles Guillaume; Writing by Mathieu Rosemain; Editing by David Goodman)

Stocks treated in this article : Peugeot, Renault, Volkswagen