1 January – Work is abandoned on the British end of the Channel Tunnel.
March – Launch of the Renault 30, Renault's first postwar six-cylinder car and Renault's flagship car to compete with the likes of the Citroen CX and BMW 5 Series, and the first production car of its size to feature a hatchback.
6 July – The Comoros declare their independence from France.
September – Chrysler Europe launches the Simca 1307, a large five-door hatchback which will go on sale in Britain in the new year as the Chrysler Alpine. It is similar in size and design to the Renault 16, and is one of the first cars of its size to feature a hatchback.[1]
15 September – The department of Corse, comprising the entire island of Corsica, is divided into two departments: Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud.
November
Launch of the Renault 20, a four-cylinder version of the Renault 30 with minor styling changes.
SNCF Class 140C steam locomotive No 38 works a freight train between its depot at Gray and Chalindrey, the last steam-hauled train operated commercially by SNCF.[2]