French carmaker Renault said Tuesday that it plans to reduce its number of engineers by 15 to 20 percent in the coming two years as it seeks to remain competitive.
A company spokesman said the reductions, out of a total of some 12,000 engineering posts worldwide, would be made without forced layoffs.
The carmaker, which has made a push into battery electric vehicles, has sought to reduce costs by speeding up development.
Renault developed its recently launched electric Twingo subcompact in two years, half the normal time, by working with its Chinese partners.
The company said last month it aims to lower the costs of its electric cars by 10 to 30 percent, with much of this by reducing development costs.
The spokesman said development of new technologies and fundamental design work would remain in France.
Engineering centres in other countries such as Brazil, India, Morocco, Romania, South Korea, Spain, and Turkey will also be reducing the number of engineering posts.
