Chinese battery and automaker BYD Co. Ltd 002594.SZ is planning to slash as much as 75 percent, or about 1,000 of labor force in sales and marketing units.

»An employee posted in a microblog that the company sent a lay-off notice to staffs of marketing and sale units early on Monday, which said that the whole sale & market unit will be dismissed with 65 percent to 75 percent of employees affected.

»Refuting the news, a top executive of BYD told reporters that that was just “normal personnel changes” to drive efficiencies.