A source said the programme, due to begin in October, is expected to reduce BMW’s workforce by about 8,000 by the end of 2027. Most likely to be offered voluntary redundancy are desk-based employees in Germany, where the carmaker employs about half of its global workforce of 154,000 people. Speaking at a staff meeting, BMW chief executive Milan Nedeljkovic described the situation as “critical”, blaming weakening market conditions alongside regulation and growing trade barriers. “We are talking about a substantial change to the rules of the game,” he told employees. BMW confirmed it was restructuring its white-collar workforce but declined to disclose the scale of the programme.