BERLIN, Dec 13, 2008 (AFP) - The world's leading auto parts maker, Bosch, will have to slash jobs in Germany and abroad because of the financial crisis, an executive has warned.

In an interview to appear in the next edition of the magazine Auto Motor, Bernd Bohr refused to give precise figures, while speaking of several hundred jobs affected in foreign plants and "structural adjustment" in Germany.

Temporary contracts would not be renewed, Bohr said.

In October the group predicted a "really tough year" in 2009 after results in 2008 fell below expectations, with rising costs and weaker sales growth.

The Stuttgart-based group, which also manufactures power tools and household appliances, has already halted some production, eliminated hundreds of temporary jobs and cut working hours.

It has a workforce of some 272,000 and recorded a turnover of more than 46 billion euros in 2007.

Bosch to cut up to 2,000 jobs in automotive ops

BERLIN, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Robert Bosch plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs to reduce costs after sales in October and November slumped by 20 percent, the head of the company's automotive division told German weekly auto motor und sport.

The world's biggest automotive supplier by sales has already shortened working hours for its employees in some factories and now plans to cut hours throughout the automotive division to 30 a week from 35, Bernd Bohr told the magazine in an interview to be published on Thursday.

Bosch also planned to reduce investment in machinary and equipment and postpone some construction projects, he said.

"Until September everything looked good," after which sales dipped, Bohr said. He said he expected sales to deteriorate further in December.

The company said on Friday it would "badly miss" its 2008 targets and expected no growth in 2009 as the global economic downturn hits home.

In the automotive division, which has about 66,000 workers, full-year sales would decline by a single-digit percentage, having gained 5 percent in 2007, Bohr said.

"And we expect that the first quarter of 2009 will be about like the last quarter of 2008," Bohr said, adding the company was optimistic that the market downturn would not last more than a year.