VW profits hit by job-cut charges
The cost of a major restructuring at Volkswagen has hit profits at the carmaker for the quarter to September. Quarterly profits at Europe's biggest carmaker slumped by 92% from 282 million euros to 23 million euros. However, sales rose 7% to 25 billion euros during the quarter, fuelled by healthy demand at VW's Audi and Skoda arms. VW said redundancy payments, aimed at eliminating up to 20,000 jobs, were booked into the quarter, accounting for the sharp dip in profits.
See "VW profits hit by job-cut charges", BBC News, BBC News Online, October 26, 2006