UPDATE 3-European carmakers cut output as credit crisis hits

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By Helen Massy-Beresford and Marilyn Gerlach

PARIS/FRANKFURT, Oct 7 (Reuters) - General Motors (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Ford Motor (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research) will cut output in Europe, the U.S. automakers said on Tuesday, in another sign turmoil on financial markets is ruining consumers' appetite for big-ticket items like cars.

GM has shut its Opel factory at Bochum, which makes Astra and Zafira models as well as axles and gearboxes, for two weeks until Oct. 13, said a spokesman for Opel, the main European unit of GM.

Another German plant in Eisenach, which makes the new Opel Corsa compact, will halt production from Oct. 13 for three weeks, the spokesman said.

"The financial crisis has prompted people to hold on to their money and spend less for cars," the spokesman said, adding there were no plans at Opel for any mandatory redundancies.

Opel is negotiating with labour over scrapping an evening shift at its Spanish plant in Zaragosa for a year, the Opel spokesman said, adding GM planned to cut production in Britain as well.

Ford plans to rein in output at its German plant in Saarlouis and will this month terminate 204 temporary jobs that were supposed to run until the end of the year, a Ford spokesman said.

He did not say how much production would be reduced at the factory that makes Focus, C-Max and Kuga models.