AFP - Italian auto group Fiat said Thursday it would cut up to 1,500 administrative jobs at its loss-making US subsidiary CNH, an agricultural and construction equipment maker employing around 31,000 people.

Fiat's chief executive Segio Marchionne told a telephone news conference about the planned cuts, which will affect between 10 and 15 percent of administrative jobs.

A Fiat spokesman said CNH employed about 10,000 administrative staff, so the number of jobs affected could reach 1,500. Another spokesman had said earlier that the percentage applied to a total of 31,500 jobs.