The job cuts would amount to up to 2,400 staff, based on a current engineering workforce of around 11,000 to 12,000 people. Renault had 100,541 employees in total at the end of last year.
Renault, like all legacy automakers, is seeing a raft of Chinese brands entering its most important markets.
Chinese players are known for their low costs and faster development times. Renault CEO Francois Provost has said the group should mirror the Chinese methods.
It has already cut the development time of its new Twingo to 21 months after partnering with Chinese engineers at its research and development centre in China.
The staff reduction is part of Provost’s broader transformation strategy unveiled last month.
The Renault engineering cuts were earlier reported by regional French newspaper Ouest-France.
