Castries

In a statement announcing Mr Tavares' departure, Henri de Castries, Stellantis’ senior independent director said "in recent weeks different views have emerged which have resulted in the Board and the CEO coming to today’s decision."

A day earlier, Lecornu visited several wartime relics, including the preserved bunker of Commander General Christian de Castries.

In this extremely rare book, de Castries proclaimed the essential evil of skyscrapers and overbuilt cities and hinted at the existence of beings called “paramentals.”

The Nobel laureate, who died in March, attended a ceremony last year to mark the opening of the museum, housed in a reconstruction of his former house in the Caribbean island’s capital, Castries.

They cited speculation among investors and market players that de Castries is keen to take up a role in French politics after the presidential election in the spring.