BMW said on Oct. 13 it would close several domestic plants as it reduces output to meet slowing demand for automobiles. "Leipzig will be idle for four days at the end of October, Regensburg five days in early November and Munich between four and five days in early November as well," a spokesman said.

Two more sites in Dingolfing and Landshut would also be affected.

"Factories abroad might also be hit," the spokesman added without providing details.

BMW had already said it was reducing its production target for 2008, with a decrease of 25,000 vehicles from a schedule established at the beginning of the year. "This is the application of measures announced in early August," the spokesman explained.

Several automakers have recently said they were trimming production owing to a market downturn, with General Motors announcing that its Opel subsidiary would temporarily lay off more than 6,500 workers at German plants.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2008