Renault declined to comment on the report.

Delbos had joined Renault in 2012 as group controller and was a seasoned executive who had helped the transition between former boss Carlos Ghosn, who was arrested in 2018, and current CEO Luca de Meo.

Renault is in the middle of a big and complex overhaul that will see it separate its activities in five businesses, deepen ties with China's Geely and spin off its electric vehicles unit through a stock market listing next year.

The car maker's shares dipped briefly but then recovered to stand 0.52% higher at 16:48 CET.

(Reporting by Gilles Guillaume, Dominique Vidalon, Editing by Silvia Aloisi)