DETROIT – General Motors plans to cut hundreds of salaried positions as it follows other major companies, including competitors, in downsizing headcounts to preserve cash and boost profits.

The cuts are expected to affect about 500 positions, according to a person familiar with the plans, which were announced internally Tuesday. They will be across various functions of the company, said the person, who asked not to be named because the plans are not public.

The timing of the cuts, which were first reported by The Detroit News, is odd. They come roughly a month after GM CEO Mary Barra and CFO Paul Jacobson told investors that the company was not planning any layoffs.

In a Tuesday letter viewed by CNBC, GM Chief People Officer Arden Hoffman confirmed the company’s goal of $2 billion in cost savings over the next two years, which “we’ll find by reducing corporate expenses, overhead, and complexity in all our products.”

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