BMW says 8,800 workers will face shorter hours in January

FRANKFURT: The German luxury car maker BMW will put 8,800 workers on shorter working hours in January as it anticipates a slump in the sales of some models, a spokesman said on Thursday.

The move affects in particular around 8,300 workers of the 19,000 at a plant in Dingolfing, southeastern Germany that makes the Series 5 model, of which a new version is to be launched in March.

Sales of the current model are therefore expected to slow sharply.

Many German companies have resorted to short work hours for staff, with around 1.1 million workers currently involved by the scheme.

The government pays part of the difference to keep people in jobs and trained for when the economy picks up again.

BMW sales have rebounded somewhat in the past few months, but the group has already placed workers on shorter hours.

Rival Daimler has not ruled out similar measures at its Mercedes-Benz plants next year, while Porsche has already announced it would extend the scheme that currently affects some of its workers.