Czech carmaker Skoda Auto AS, a unit of Germany's Volkswagen AG, said Tuesday it planned to cut production by another 18,000 cars this year as the global economic turmoil hits the auto industry, an official said.

Skoda spokesman Jaroslav Cerny said the measure was prompted mostly by a fall in demand in the Western European car markets.

Skoda Auto will halt car production for an unspecified number of days in November and December in all three of its factories in the Czech Republic, Cerny said. He didn't give details.

The company had already suspended car production in late October to reduce production by 13,000 cars.

Skoda Auto is the country's largest exporter and delivered a record 630,032 cars in 2007.

The company reported last week its net profit in the first three quarters of the year dropped 24.7 percent to 8.7 billion koruna ($458 million; 357 million euros) as demand has been hurt by the global crisis.