<PAGE>
 
                                                Registration No. 333-__________


                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, DC  20549

                    --------------------------------------

                                   FORM S-8
                         REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
                          THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                    --------------------------------------


 
                               EXIDE CORPORATION
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


          Delaware                                             23-0552730
--------------------------------                          ---------------------
(State or other jurisdiction of                           (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)                            Identification No.)


1400 North Woodward Avenue
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan                                        48304
----------------------------------------                  ---------------------
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                       (Zip Code)


                               Exide Corporation
                           1993 Stock Incentive Plan
                          --------------------------
                           (Full title of the plan)


                              Bernard F. Stewart
                 Executive Vice President and General Counsel
                               Exide Corporation
                          1400 North Woodward Avenue
                       Bloomfield Hills, Michigan  48304
                  -------------------------------------------
                    (Name and address of agent for service)


                                (810) 258-0080
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)


                                with copies to:

                               Carter W. Emerson
                               Kirkland & Ellis
                            200 East Randolph Drive
                           Chicago, Illinois  60601
                                (312) 861-2052


                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
                        -------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                   Proposed      Proposed
Title of                           Maximum       Maximum
Securities        Amount           Offering      Aggregate         Amount of
to be             to be            Price Per     Offering          Registration
Registered        Registered (1)   Share (2)     Price (2)         Fee
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>               <C>             <C>           <C>              <C>
Common
Stock,            780,733
$.01 par value    Shares           $48.5625      $37,914,346.00   $13,073.91
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(1)  Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration
     Statement shall be deemed to cover an indeterminate number of additional
     shares of Common Stock issuable in the event the number of outstanding
     shares of the Company is increased by split-up, reclassification, stock
     dividend or the like.

(2)  Estimated solely for the purpose of computing the registration fee pursuant
     to Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 457(c); based on the average of
     the high and low price per share of Common Stock of the Company on January
     19, 1996, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape.
<PAGE>
 
                                    PART I

             INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

     A reoffer prospectus covering restricted securities issued under the Exide
Corporation 1993 Stock Incentive Plan is filed as part of this Registration
Statement pursuant to General Instruction C to Form S-8 as Exhibit 99.2 hereto.


                                    PART II

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. - INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
          ---------------------------------------

     The following documents filed with the Commission (File No. 1-11263) are
incorporated herein by reference:

     (i) the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
March 31, 1995;

     (ii) the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter
ended October 1, 1995 filed on November 15, 1995, the Company's Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 2, 1995 filed on August 16, 1995,
as amended by the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A filed on September
27, 1995, the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 22, 1995,
the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 29, 1995, the
Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 8, 1995, the Company's
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 29, 1995 and the Company's Current
Report on Form 8-K filed on June 2, 1995, as amended by the Company's Current
Report on Form 8-K/A filed on July 31, 1995; and

     (iii) the description of the Common Stock contained in the Company's
Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 33-56581) filed on November 23,
1994.

     All documents filed by the Company pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 after the date of this Prospectus
and prior to the termination of the offering of the Shares made hereby shall be
deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Prospectus and to be a part
hereof from the date of filing such documents. Any statement contained in a
document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be
deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Prospectus to the
extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document
which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or
supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be
deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this
Prospectus.

     The Company will provide without charge to each person to whom this
Prospectus is delivered, upon the written or oral request of such person, a copy
of any or all of the documents which have been incorporated by reference in this
Prospectus, other than exhibits to such documents not specifically described
above. Requests for such documents should be directed to Bernard F. Stewart,
Executive Vice President and General

                                      -2-
<PAGE>
 
Counsel, Exide Corporation, 1400 North Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills,
Michigan 48304, telephone (810) 258-0080.

Item 4. - DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
          -------------------------

             Not applicable.

Item 5. - INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL
          --------------------------------------

             None.

Item 6. - INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
          -----------------------------------------

     Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL") provides,
in effect, that any person made a party to any action by reason of the fact that
he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company may, and in
certain cases must, be indemnified by the Company against, in the case of a non-
derivative action, judgments, fines, amounts paid in settlement and reasonable
expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred by him as a result of such action.
In the case of a derivative action, such person must be indemnified against
expenses (including attorneys' fees). In either type of action the person must
have acted in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in or not
opposed to the best interests of the Company. This indemnification does not
apply, in a derivative action, to matters as to which it is adjudged that the
director, officer, employee or agent is liable to the Company, unless upon court
order it is determined that, despite such adjudication of liability, but in view
of all the circumstances of the case, such director, officer, employee or agent
is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for expenses. In a non-derivative
action this indemnification does not apply to any criminal proceeding in which
such person had reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.

     Article Tenth of the Company's Certificate of Incorporation and Article V
of the Company's Bylaws provide that the Company shall indemnify each person who
is or was an officer or director of the Company to the fullest extent permitted
by Section 145 of the DGCL as currently in effect or as the same may be amended
(but only to provide fuller indemnification) in the future.

     Article Ninth of the Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation
provides that to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, a director of the
Company shall not be liable to the Company or its stockholders for monetary
damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director.

Item 7. - EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED
          -----------------------------------

     With respect to restricted securities to be reoffered and resold pursuant
to this Registration Statement, the Company relied upon the exemption from
registration contained in Section 4(2) to Securities Act of 1933 based upon the
sophistication of the grantees of such securities, their representations to the
Company and the restrictions placed on transfer of such shares. 

Item 8. - EXHIBITS
          --------
  
                                      -3-
<PAGE>
 
     23.1  Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP

     23.2  Consent of Ernst & Young Audit

     23.3  Consent of Deloitte & Touche L.L.P.

     24    Power of Attorney (included on signature page)

     99.1  Exide Corporation 1993 Stock Incentive Plan

     99.2  Reoffer Prospectus

Item 9. - UNDERTAKINGS
          ------------

     (a)  Rule 415 Offering

          The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

               (1) to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
     made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

                   (i)    To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3)
          of the Securities Act of 1933;

                   (ii)   To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
          arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the
          most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or
          in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information
          set forth in the registration statement;

                   (iii)  To include any material information with respect to
          the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration
          statement or any material change to such information in the
          registration statement;

                   Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii)
          do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form S-8,
          and the information required to be included in a post-effective
          amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed
          by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the
          Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in
          the registration statement.

               (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
     Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed
     to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
     therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed
     to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
  
                                      -4-
<PAGE>
 
               (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
     amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
     termination of the offering.

     (b)  Filings Incorporating Subsequent Exchange Act Documents By Reference

     The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an
employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

     (c)  Request for Acceleration of Effective Date or Filing of Registration
          Statement on Form S-8

     Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission
such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is,
therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against
such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred
or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of
such issue. 

                                      -5-
<PAGE>
 
                                  SIGNATURES
                                  ----------


     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly
authorized, in the City of Reading, State of Pennsylvania on the 22nd day of
January, 1996.

                                       EXIDE CORPORATION


                                       By: /s/ ALAN E. GAUTHIER
                                          -------------------------------------
                                               EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

                               POWER OF ATTORNEY
                               -----------------

     KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears
below constitutes and appoints Bernard F. Stewart and Alan E. Gauthier and each
of them, as true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents with full power of
substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in
any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments (including post-effective
amendments) to the Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all
exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and
agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing
requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all
intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and
confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or their or his substitute
or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.

<TABLE> 
<CAPTION> 

SIGNATURE                       TITLE                                  DATE
---------                       -----                                  ----
<S>                             <C>                                    <C>  
/s/ ARTHUR M. HAWKINS 
---------------------------     Chairman of the Board, President,      JANUARY 24, 1996
Arthur M. Hawkins               Chief Executive Officer and
                                Director (Principal Executive
                                Officer)
 
/s/ ALAN E. GAUTHIER 
---------------------------     Executive Vice President and Chief     JANUARY 22, 1996
Alan E. Gauthier                Financial Officer (Principal
                                Financial Officer and Principal
                                Accounting Officer) and Director
 
/s/ DOUGLAS N. PEARSON 
---------------------------     Executive Vice President and           JANUARY 23, 1996
Douglas N. Pearson              President, North American
                                Operations and Director
 
/s/ WILLIAM J. RANKIN 
---------------------------     Executive Vice President -             JANUARY 22, 1996
William J. Rankin               Engineering and Group Operations
                                and Director
 
/s/ EARL DOLIVE
---------------------------     Director                               JANUARY 24, 1996
Earl Dolive

/s/ ARTHUR R. TAYLOR
---------------------------     Director                               JANUARY 23, 1996
Arthur R. Taylor

</TABLE> 
  
                                      -6-
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 18193}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "EXIDE CORP", "cik": "0000813781", "assigned-sic": "3690", "irs-number": "230552730", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "0331"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-00413", "film-number": "96506727"}, "business-address": {"street1": "1400 N WOODLAND AVE", "city": "BLOOMFIELD HILL", "state": "MI", "zip": "48304", "phone": "8102580080"}}
Registration No. 333-__________

                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, DC  20549

                    --------------------------------------

                                   FORM S-8
                         REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
                          THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                    --------------------------------------

 
                               EXIDE CORPORATION
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

          Delaware                                             23-0552730
--------------------------------                          ---------------------
(State or other jurisdiction of                           (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)                            Identification No.)

1400 North Woodward Avenue
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan                                        48304
----------------------------------------                  ---------------------
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                       (Zip Code)

                               Exide Corporation
                           1993 Stock Incentive Plan
                          --------------------------
                           (Full title of the plan)

                              Bernard F. Stewart
                 Executive Vice President and General Counsel
                               Exide Corporation
                          1400 North Woodward Avenue
                       Bloomfield Hills, Michigan  48304
                  -------------------------------------------
                    (Name and address of agent for service)

                                (810) 258-0080
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                                with copies to:

                               Carter W. Emerson
                               Kirkland & Ellis
                            200 East Randolph Drive
                           Chicago, Illinois  60601
                                (312) 861-2052

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
                        -------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposed      Proposed
Title of                           Maximum       Maximum
Securities        Amount           Offering      Aggregate         Amount of
to be             to be            Price Per     Offering          Registration
Registered        Registered (1)   Share (2)     Price (2)         Fee
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common
Stock,            780,733
$.01 par value    Shares           $48.5625      $37,914,346.00   $13,073.91
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(1)  Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration
     Statement shall be deemed to cover an indeterminate number of additional
     shares of Common Stock issuable in the event the number of outstanding
     shares of the Company is increased by split-up, reclassification, stock
     dividend or the like.

(2)  Estimated solely for the purpose of computing the registration fee pursuant
     to Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 457(c); based on the average of
     the high and low price per share of Common Stock of the Company on January
     19, 1996, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape.
PART I

             INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

     A reoffer prospectus covering restricted securities issued under the Exide
Corporation 1993 Stock Incentive Plan is filed as part of this Registration
Statement pursuant to General Instruction C to Form S-8 as Exhibit 99.2 hereto.

                                    PART II

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. - INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
          ---------------------------------------

     The following documents filed with the Commission (File No. 1-11263) are
incorporated herein by reference:

     (i) the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
March 31, 1995;

     (ii) the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter
ended October 1, 1995 filed on November 15, 1995, the Company's Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 2, 1995 filed on August 16, 1995,
as amended by the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A filed on September
27, 1995, the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 22, 1995,
the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 29, 1995, the
Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 8, 1995, the Company's
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 29, 1995 and the Company's Current
Report on Form 8-K filed on June 2, 1995, as amended by the Company's Current
Report on Form 8-K/A filed on July 31, 1995; and

     (iii) the description of the Common Stock contained in the Company's
Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 33-56581) filed on November 23,
1994.

     All documents filed by the Company pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 after the date of this Prospectus
and prior to the termination of the offering of the Shares made hereby shall be
deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Prospectus and to be a part
hereof from the date of filing such documents. Any statement contained in a
document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be
deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Prospectus to the
extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document
which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or
supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be
deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this
Prospectus.

     The Company will provide without charge to each person to whom this
Prospectus is delivered, upon the written or oral request of such person, a copy
of any or all of the documents which have been incorporated by reference in this
Prospectus, other than exhibits to such documents not specifically described
above. Requests for such documents should be directed to Bernard F. Stewart,
Executive Vice President and General

                                      -2-
Counsel, Exide Corporation, 1400 North Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills,
Michigan 48304, telephone (810) 258-0080.

Item 4. - DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
          -------------------------

             Not applicable.

Item 5. - INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL
          --------------------------------------

             None.

Item 6. - INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
          -----------------------------------------

     Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL") provides,
in effect, that any person made a party to any action by reason of the fact that
he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company may, and in
certain cases must, be indemnified by the Company against, in the case of a non-
derivative action, judgments, fines, amounts paid in settlement and reasonable
expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred by him as a result of such action.
In the case of a derivative action, such person must be indemnified against
expenses (including attorneys' fees). In either type of action the person must
have acted in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in or not
opposed to the best interests of the Company. This indemnification does not
apply, in a derivative action, to matters as to which it is adjudged that the
director, officer, employee or agent is liable to the Company, unless upon court
order it is determined that, despite such adjudication of liability, but in view
of all the circumstances of the case, such director, officer, employee or agent
is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for expenses. In a non-derivative
action this indemnification does not apply to any criminal proceeding in which
such person had reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.

     Article Tenth of the Company's Certificate of Incorporation and Article V
of the Company's Bylaws provide that the Company shall indemnify each person who
is or was an officer or director of the Company to the fullest extent permitted
by Section 145 of the DGCL as currently in effect or as the same may be amended
(but only to provide fuller indemnification) in the future.

     Article Ninth of the Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation
provides that to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, a director of the
Company shall not be liable to the Company or its stockholders for monetary
damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director.

Item 7. - EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED
          -----------------------------------

     With respect to restricted securities to be reoffered and resold pursuant
to this Registration Statement, the Company relied upon the exemption from
registration contained in Section 4(2) to Securities Act of 1933 based upon the
sophistication of the grantees of such securities, their representations to the
Company and the restrictions placed on transfer of such shares. 

Item 8. - EXHIBITS
          --------
  
                                      -3-
23.1  Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP

     23.2  Consent of Ernst & Young Audit

     23.3  Consent of Deloitte & Touche L.L.P.

     24    Power of Attorney (included on signature page)

     99.1  Exide Corporation 1993 Stock Incentive Plan

     99.2  Reoffer Prospectus

Item 9. - UNDERTAKINGS
          ------------

     (a)  Rule 415 Offering

          The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

               (1) to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
     made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

                   (i)    To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3)
          of the Securities Act of 1933;

                   (ii)   To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
          arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the
          most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or
          in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information
          set forth in the registration statement;

                   (iii)  To include any material information with respect to
          the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration
          statement or any material change to such information in the
          registration statement;

                   Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii)
          do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form S-8,
          and the information required to be included in a post-effective
          amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed
          by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the
          Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in
          the registration statement.

               (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
     Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed
     to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
     therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed
     to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
  
                                      -4-
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
     amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
     termination of the offering.

     (b)  Filings Incorporating Subsequent Exchange Act Documents By Reference

     The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an
employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

     (c)  Request for Acceleration of Effective Date or Filing of Registration
          Statement on Form S-8

     Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission
such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is,
therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against
such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred
or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of
such issue. 

                                      -5-
SIGNATURES
                                  ----------

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly
authorized, in the City of Reading, State of Pennsylvania on the 22nd day of
January, 1996.

                                       EXIDE CORPORATION

                                       By: /s/ ALAN E. GAUTHIER
                                          -------------------------------------
                                               EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

                               POWER OF ATTORNEY
                               -----------------

     KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears
below constitutes and appoints Bernard F. Stewart and Alan E. Gauthier and each
of them, as true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents with full power of
substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in
any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments (including post-effective
amendments) to the Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all
exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and
agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing
requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all
intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and
confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or their or his substitute
or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.
SIGNATURE                       TITLE                                  DATE
---------                       -----                                  ----
/s/ ARTHUR M. HAWKINS 
---------------------------     Chairman of the Board, President,      JANUARY 24, 1996
Arthur M. Hawkins               Chief Executive Officer and
                                Director (Principal Executive
                                Officer)
 
/s/ ALAN E. GAUTHIER 
---------------------------     Executive Vice President and Chief     JANUARY 22, 1996
Alan E. Gauthier                Financial Officer (Principal
                                Financial Officer and Principal
                                Accounting Officer) and Director
 
/s/ DOUGLAS N. PEARSON 
---------------------------     Executive Vice President and           JANUARY 23, 1996
Douglas N. Pearson              President, North American
                                Operations and Director
 
/s/ WILLIAM J. RANKIN 
---------------------------     Executive Vice President -             JANUARY 22, 1996
William J. Rankin               Engineering and Group Operations
                                and Director
 
/s/ EARL DOLIVE
---------------------------     Director                               JANUARY 24, 1996
Earl Dolive

/s/ ARTHUR R. TAYLOR
---------------------------     Director                               JANUARY 23, 1996
Arthur R. Taylor
-6-