Tesla says fewer than 3,000 jobs to be cut at Berlin plant

US car manufacturer Tesla says fewer than 3,000 jobs will be cut at its only European plant near Berlin, after announcing plans to cut 10% of its global workforce.

In an internal email on Tuesday, chief executive Elon Musk said he wants to make the cuts, affecting an estimated 14,000 employees worldwide, in view of the slump in the market for electric cars and weak sales worldwide.

"We are convinced that only an efficient and lean organization is well positioned for future challenges. Our experience shows that this approach contributes significantly to our success," a Tesla spokeswoman in Grünheide said when asked on Tuesday.

Tesla's large plant, dubbed a gigafactory, is located in the small community of Grünheide just beyond the city limits of Berlin in the state of Brandenburg.

Regarding the announced job cuts, the statement said: "We are examining this measure and will pursue it for the Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg against the background of all labour law and co-determination requirements with the involvement of the works council."

The figure of 3,000 jobs affected mentioned in media reports is "completely unfounded."

There was initially no information on how many jobs could be affected at the electric car manufacturer in Grünheide. More than 12,000 people currently work at the plant.

Tesla's plans to expand the factory recently sparked a dispute. In addition, an attack on the car factory's power supply caused uncertainty.

During a visit to the factory in Grünheide in March, tech billionaire Musk said that he was sticking to his expansion plans.