A spokesman for German car maker BMW has confirmed that it is to shed 'several thousand' jobs next year as part of a cost-cutting plan. The spokesman told the AFP news agency that there was no definite figure yet.
The news magazine Der Spiegel reported on its internet site that BMW would slash about 8,000 jobs.
The company aimed to increase profitability by cutting personnel costs, and most of the jobs to be eliminated were in Germany, the spokesman said.
Part-time assembly line posts would be among those most affected, but the company would also offer severance packages to full-time workers and also leave posts vacant as others retired.
According to Der Spiegel's online report, BMW's profitability remains below that of German rival Mercedes-Benz, with both car makers and VW's high-end Audi division fighting weaker sales in their domestic and North American markets.
