Renault heir apparent ousted after coveting top job A clash of personalties in the Renault boardroom has claimed the scalp of Carlos Tavares, the chief operating officer at the French carmaker, who had been groomed as leader-in-waiting. Mr Tavares, who is not expected to be directly replaced, was stepping down immediately "in order to pursue other personal projects," the company said after an emergency board meeting on Thursday morning. The move comes just two weeks after a frank media interview in which the heir apparent said he did not want to wait around for the company's effusive chief executive Carlos Ghosn to retire, and that he was looking to run General Motors or Ford Motor instead. The company is not expected to announce a new COO in the wake of his departure and instead will divide Mr Tavares" former duties among others, according to two sources with knowledge of the plans. "We have a big leader and he is here to stay," said Mr Tavares to Bloomberg. Anyone who is passionate about the auto industry comes to a conclusion that there is a point where you have the energy and appetite for a number one position. Mr Tavares, who joined Renault as a test driver straight out of university and spent 32 years working his way up the company, added that looking for a shot at a top spot elsewhere was not disloyal, but reflected his ambition and concern that if Mr Ghosn retired in five years - by which time Mr Tavares would be 60 - it would be too late. Officials at the carmaker said privately that they were baffled by the public comments, which failed to impress Mr Tavares" fellow directors and surprised executives in the US, where he used to run operations for Renault's Japanese sister company Nissan. "Mr Tavares is not coming to join General Motors," said Greg Martin, a GM spokesman. At Ford, chief operating officer Mark Fields is widely seen as heir apparent to chief executive Alan Mulally. The unexpected change at the top comes at a tricky time for Renault, which is battling the worst European car market for 20 years and is cutting 7,500 staff by 2016. "[Mr Tavares] eroded his own position at the company over the past few months," said Ian Fletcher, senior analyst at IHS Global Insight, an automotive consultancy. "It is a surprise but, given his interesting comments recently that he didn't think he'd ever rise to the top of the company, I can't help but think he put a few noses out of joint at Renault," said Mr Fletcher. Mr Ghosn, the 59-year-old chief executive of both Renault and Nissan, is held in high regard by the automotive industry for his success in rescuing the Japanese company and forging the alliance that created the world's fourth-largest carmaker by volume. Renault said Mr Tavares would remain at the group while relinquishing his chief operating officer role.