PARIS - Renault is cutting 15,000 jobs worldwide as part of a €2bn (£1.8bn) cost-cutting plan after seeing sales plunge because of the virus pandemic.

"This plan is essential," said interim boss Clotilde Delbos, who announced a bigger focus on electric cars and vans.

Some 4,600 job cuts will be in France, but Renault has not revealed which plants could close.

Renault played down reports it could move some production to the UK plant run by its strategic partner Nissan.

"You shouldn't believe everything you read in the newspapers," Ms Delbos said. "All you've seen in the newspapers are but rumours."

On Thursday, Nissan unveiled huge job cuts and the closure of its factory in Barcelona. The UK plant, in Sunderland, would remain open, the Japanese company said.

Renault, 15% owned by the French state, said six sites are under review for cuts, and has begun negotiations with unions.

The company is slashing costs by cutting the number of subcontractors in areas such as engineering, reducing the number of components it uses, freezing expansion plans in Romania and Morocco and shrinking gearbox manufacturing worldwide.

The French firm plans to trim its global production capacity to 3.3 million vehicles in 2024 from 4 million now, focusing on areas like small vans or electric cars.

Renault is part of a three-way alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi. On Thursday, Nissan said it would close its factory in Barcelona with the loss of about 2,800 jobs in a bid to cut costs, prompting protests at the Spanish plant.

Cost-cutting measures announced by both Renault and Nissan mark a departure from the ambitious expansion plan devised by now-ousted leader of the alliance, Carlos Ghosn.(FA)