Ford to cut over 1,000 jobs in Germany - Automobilwoche

BERLIN (Reuters) - Ford plans to slash over a thousand jobs at its main German plant in Cologne, German autos publication Automobilwoche reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources.

The head of the works council has called a meeting for all 14,000 employees of the Cologne plant, Ford's biggest in Germany, on Monday, the report said.

Ford, which according to its website employs around 20,000 people in Germany, declined to comment on the report but said the transformation to electric vehicles required "significant change" in the way it produces cars.

"We have no comment on the current speculation about a possible restructuring at Ford in Europe," a spokesperson said in a written statement.

"The transformation [to an all-electric portfolio] requires significant change in the way we develop, build and sell Ford vehicles, and will impact our organizational structure, talent and skills we will need in the future."

"More details will be shared once our plans are final and we have informed our employees first," the statement added.

Ford is investing around $2 billion in expanding its Cologne plant, which produces to Ford Fiesta as well as engines, and transmissions, to produce an all-electric volume model.

The U.S. carmaker has committed to selling exclusively electric passenger cars in Europe by 2030, and is planning three new electric passenger vehicles and four new electric commercial vehicles in Europe by 2024.

(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, Editing by Louise Heavens)