German-US car giant DaimlerChrysler plans to axe up to 6,000 general and administrative jobs over the next three years.
The cuts, which represented about one fifth of the car maker's general and administrative workforce, are to be implemented worldwide and are aimed at helping cut costs by €1.5 billion a year.
A report in the Wall Street Journal Europe had said that the prestigious Mercedes division would bear the brunt of the cuts.
The aim of the management shake-out was believed to be a signal from the group's new chief executive Dieter Zetsche that sacrifices were being demanded not only from the grass-roots workforce but from white-collar staff as well.
Zetsche, who took the driving seat at DaimlerChrysler on January 1, recently announced plans to eliminate 8,500 jobs at Mercedes plants across Germany.
