AUTOS

Mercedes-Benz to Cut 14,000 Jobs: In an effort to streamline its operations, the German luxury auto maker plans to make the cuts next year “mainly through further early retirement, redundancy agreements and natural wastage,” Mercedes Chief Executive Helmut Werner said in a statement. However, direct dismissals may not be avoided at the commercial-vehicle division or the company’s headquarters near Stuttgart, the statement said. The company wants to save more than $595 million with the personnel reductions. “The cuts are long overdue,” said a car analyst. “But let’s see them carried out first.”