BERLIN, June 19 (Reuters) - German premium carmaker BMW and employee representatives are preparing talks after the company slashed its profit outlook and vowed to ramp up efficiency measures, a spokesperson for the general works council said on Friday.

"We are initially working on viable solutions - through dialogue and with a sense of responsibility toward our employees," the spokesperson said in an emailed response to Reuters, without giving further details.

Earlier this week, BMW issued a profit warning, blaming it on prolonged weakness in the Chinese car market, the world's biggest, and cost pressures resulting from the Middle East conflict.

The company also said it would intensify structural cost-cutting, flagging a one-off effect as a result of the measures in the second half of the year.

Unlike Volkswagen and its direct rival Mercedes-Benz, BMW has not yet announced sweeping redundancy programmes, although its total workforce did decline slightly in 2025, a trend expected to continue this year.

(Reporting by Rachel More, editing by Thomas Seythal)