A few months before Carlos Tavares resigned, the National Stellar Dealers Council (NDC) of the United States sent a strongly worded letter to the then CEO, accusing him of nothing but “disaster” and the “rapid degradation” of Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler. Stellantis quickly shot back, arguing that sending “public personal attacks” against the CEO would solve nothing.
Although Tavares has been gone for a little over a year, his shadow still hangs over US businessmen. In an interview with Automotive NewsNDC chairman Sean Hogan spoke candidly about the previous leadership, claiming the former CEO had a poor vision for the auto giant by removing excitement while cutting costs wherever possible:
‘Tavares tried to introduce our brands into what was going to be a boring transport company. That’s not us. And then she cut and she cut and she cut. None of our brands are about basic transportation. Everything we want to build has to be fresh and unique.’
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Things seem to have improved under Antonio Filosa at the helm of Stellantis. Compared to Tavares, the new management team is praised by the NDC for understanding what works. Hogan highlighted the return of the Hemi engine and the company’s commitment to invest $13 billion in the United States by the end of the decade.
Fresh products are on the horizon, including a next-generation Dodge Durango and a Ram-badged SUV. The latter, according to Hogan, “will be strong and sexy.” After seeing it behind closed doors, he describes it as a full-size SUV with “Ram DNA all over it”.
However, not all brands can live under the Stellantis umbrella. A recent Reuters the report claimed that Filosa is “assessing the long-term viability of all 14 brands,” with some European names being more vulnerable. Insiders told the agency that the withdrawal of certain brands is not being ruled out.
Since the Tavares era, many have questioned whether the maintenance of so many brands makes sense, given the risk of overlapping products that cannibalize sales. Volkswagen Group succeeded, but even VW has fewer brands. Filosa faces the challenge of deciding the future of struggling names such as Chrysler in the United States and Lancia in Europe.
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Motorcycle Brother1: American dealers seem more optimistic than ever since the 2021 FCA-PSA merger that created Stellantis. With massive investments benefiting all US plants, their confidence is justified. The Belvidere site is reopening to build the Jeep Compass and Cherokee for 2027.
Traders are also looking forward to a wave of new products. The TRX is already back, a new Dakota midsize truck is expected next year, and Ram’s first SUV is due in 2028, potentially paired with the all-new Durango set for a 2029 launch.