Just months before Carlos Tavares resigned, the National Dealer Council (NDC) of America’s Strantis issued a strongly worded letter to the then-CEO, accusing him of being a “disaster” and causing the “rapid degradation” of Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler. Strantis quickly fired back, saying “public personal attacks” on the CEO won’t solve anything.
Even though it’s been more than a year since Tavares left, his shadow still lingers in the minds of U.S. dealers. during an interview automotive newsNDC chairman Sean Hogan spoke candidly about the previous leadership, claiming that the former CEO had the wrong vision for the auto giant and that he eliminated excitement while cutting costs wherever possible:
“Tavares was trying to take our brand into what was going to be a boring transportation company. That’s not us. And then he cut, cut, cut. None of our brands were about basic transportation. Everything we had to build had to be cool and unique.”
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Things appear to be improving under Antonio Filosa at Stellantis. In contrast to Tavares, the new management team was 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.
New products are coming, including the next-generation Dodge Durango and a Ram-badged SUV. The latter, Hogan said, “is going to be powerful and sexy.” After a behind-closed-doors tour, he described it as a full-size SUV “full of Ram DNA.”
However, not all brands will survive under the Stellantis umbrella. the latest one Reuters Filosa is “assessing the long-term viability of all 14 brands,” with some European brands more vulnerable, the report said. Insiders told the agency that the possibility of some brands being retired cannot be ruled out.
Since the Tavares era, many have questioned whether it makes sense to maintain so many brands because product overlap could hurt sales. The Volkswagen Group manages it, but even Volkswagen has fewer brands. Filosa faces the challenge of deciding the future of troubled brands such as Chrysler in the United States and Lancia in Europe.
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Motor1’s point of view: U.S. dealers appear more optimistic than ever since FCA merged with PSA in 2021 to create Stellantis. Their confidence is justified as massive investments benefit all U.S. factories. The Belvidere plant will reopen in 2027 to produce the Jeep Compass and Cherokee.
Dealers are also looking forward to a wave of new products. The TRX is back, a new Dakota midsize truck is expected next year, and Ram’s first SUV will launch in 2028, possibly paired with the all-new Durango due in 2029.
