Fran?ois Hollande’s socialist government has been dragged into a new fight over its economic policies, this time by the outspoken head of a US tyremaker who lashed out at short French working hours and said he would be “stupid” to consider taking over a factory in the country.

The government, stung by earlier assaults on its high tax regime and a public spat with Lakshmi Mittal, the Indian steel magnate, sought to downplay the latest attack by Maurice Taylor, chief executive of Titan International, in a letter to France’s industry minister.

Arnaud Montebourg, who has fought Mr Mittal’s planned plant closures in France, suggested that Titan revive talks abandoned last year to take over part of a Goodyear plant in northern France set for closure. The response by Mr Taylor, also known as “The Grizz”, was terse: “How stupid do you think we are?”