British carmakers Bentley, Aston Martin, McLaren shedding jobs

June 5 (UPI) -- British car giants Bentley, Aston Martin and McLaren have all announced staff cuts totaling almost 3,000 jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Bentley, which is owned by Volkswagen, said Friday it will hand out pink slips to about one-fourth of its workforce in Britain, roughly 1,000 jobs.

"COVID-19 has not been the cause of this measure but a hastener," Bentley Chief Executive Officer CEO Adrian Hallmark said.

Aston Martin, best known for being the automaker of choice for spy character James Bond, said it will start cutting 500 jobs by Aug. 1. The automaker, which hires 2,600 around the world, said the cuts are in response to "lower than originally planned production volumes and improved productivity across the business."

McLaren said last week it was cutting 1,200 jobs, more than one-fourth of its 4,000-employee workforce. The famed Formula One racing brand said the closure of production buildings, the lack of a racing season and dwindling demand for its technology were all factors in the decision.

"It is a course of action we have worked hard to avoid, having already undertaken dramatic cost-saving measures across all areas of the business," Executive Chairman Paul Walsh said. "But we now have no other choice but to reduce the size of our workforce."