Mazda to cut 250 jobs in Europe, U.S., report says
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Mazda plans to cut 250 jobs, a quarter of its staff in Europe and the United States, as it reorganizes sales management in Japan and overseas, the Nikkei newspaper reported.
The cuts will be implemented this fiscal year, the paper added.
The Japanese automaker, which has posted losses for four straight years on sluggish sales and a strong yen, will reduce staff at its subsidiary in Germany by a third to just under 200 workers, the business daily said.
Mazda plans to reduce staff in the United States, where it has sales sections in California and Michigan, by 20 percent to around 550 workers, the paper added.
Last month, 107 of Mazda's U.S. employees signed up to take buyouts as part of a restructuring of U.S. operations.
The company does not plan to cut jobs in Japan but will reorganize sales administration operations in June by relocating certain workers to its head office in Hiroshima from the Tokyo and Osaka offices, the daily reported.
Net profit for the automaker in its fiscal fourth quarter fell 48 percent to 5.1 billion yen (around $63 million), as the company was hit hard by falling global sales, high r&d costs and heavy reliance on exports that make it vulnerable to the strong Japanese yen.
In a move to cut costs, Mazda last week announced a deal with Fiat to jointly develop the next generation of Miata/MX-5 and Alfa Romeo Spider roadsters on a shared Mazda platform. The joint venture does not include any equity tie-ups.
Sources: Reuters, Automotive News Europe
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