BMW plans to cut as many as 8,000 jobs in Germany, becoming the latest major European carmaker to reduce costs amid mounting competition from Chinese rivals. The Munich-based company has launched a voluntary redundancy programme agreed with its works council, targeting administrative and development divisions while leaving production roles untouched. The move reflects the wider squeeze on Germany's car industry, which faces fast-growing Chinese competitors dominating the electric vehicle market, a price war in China itself, and the costly shift from petrol to electric vehicles, compounded by US tariffs.

BMW employs around 160,000 people worldwide and the cuts follow the appointment of Milan Nedeljković as chief executive in May. The company said it was "proactively shaping" changes driven by technological transformation, geopolitical uncertainty and shifting conditions in China. Its struggles echo those of peers: Volkswagen has confirmed cuts of up to 100,000 jobs and the closure of four factories, while Porsche has agreed a further 5,000 redundancies, taking its total to 9,000 (a fifth of its workforce) by 2035, after a 30% slump in Chinese sales. Aston Martin has also reported widening losses, with a £154m deficit in the first half of the year, though it said trading had "materially improved".