Chairman Juergen Schrempp has cut 18,000 jobs in a year

There, tough cutbacks have already slashed 30,000 jobs from its payroll.

This has been largely due to cut-backs at its Chrysler car unit and its Freightliner truck unit where up to 18,000 jobs have been lost.

In addition, the sales of its Adtranz and Temic units have cut its payroll.

In the last year, the company has reduced its global workforce from 416,500 staff to 376,300.

And "it looks as if this number will be slightly lower in 2002", said the man in charge of personnel affairs, Guenther Fleigh, who is also a member of the group's board.

DaimlerChrysler employs 191,300 people in Germany.

Not compulsory

But the job cuts should not result in any German workers losing their jobs against their will.

In the cars business, it would not be wise to cut production now and have insufficient capacity later

Guenther Fleigh Board member in charge of personnel affairs

"We do not foresee compulsory redundancies in 2002 [in Germany]," said Mr Fleigh.

"We think the economic decline will normalise in 2002."

The group's German operations' "flexible working models" should enable it to weather the ongoing economic downturn, the group said.

In its truck division, which includes eight plants in Germany, the company might reduce its current 35-hour-week to a 30-hour-week.

And its car division is unlikely to escape untouched.

"In the cars business, it would not be wise to cut production now and have insufficient capacity later," said Mr Fleigh.

Last week, Chrysler president Dieter Zetsche said he had no plans to cut any more jobs.