- The head of Stellantis’ National Dealer Council expresses his opinion on the former management with Carlos Tavares as CEO.
- Dealers claim Tavares was too focused on cost-cutting measures.
- Antonio Filosa is praised for having a much better approach.
Just months before Carlos Tavares resigned, America’s Stellantis National Dealer Council (NDC) sent a strongly worded letter to its then-CEO, accusing him of nothing short of a “disaster” and the “rapid degradation” of Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler. Stellantis quickly fired back, arguing that sending “public personal attacks” against the CEO wouldn’t solve anything.
Although Tavares has been gone for just over a year, his shadow still hangs over American dealers. In an interview with Automotive NewsNDC Chairman Sean Hogan spoke candidly about the previous leadership, claiming the former CEO had the wrong vision for the auto giant by taking away the excitement and cutting costs where possible:
‘Tavares tried to place our brands in what would become a boring transport company. We are not. And then he cut and he cut and he cut. None of our brands revolve around basic transportation. Everything we have to build has to be cool and unique.”
” width=”16″ height=”9″ loading=”lazy”/>
Photo by: Brian Silvestro / Motor1
It seems things have improved under Antonio Filosa at the helm of Stellantis. Compared to Tavares, the new management team has been 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 U.S. by the end of the decade.
New products are on the horizon, including a next-generation Dodge Durango and a Ram-badged SUV. According to Hogan, the latter will “look powerful 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 under the Stellantis umbrella may survive. A recent one Reuters According to the report, Filosa “assesses the long-term viability of all fourteen brands,” with some European names being more vulnerable. Insiders told the agency that it cannot be ruled out that certain brands will retire.
Since the Tavares era, many have questioned whether keeping so many brands makes sense, given the risk of product overlap cannibalizing 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 US and Lancia in Europe.
2027 Ram 1500 SRT TRX Bloodshot Night Edition
Photo by: Aries
Taking Motor1s: US dealers appear more optimistic than ever since the 2021 FCA-PSA merger that created Stellantis. Now that the enormous investments are benefiting all American factories, their confidence is justified. The Belvidere facility will reopen to build the 2027 Jeep Compass and Cherokee.
Dealers 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 expected in 2028, possibly paired with the all-new Durango launching in 2029.
While Stellantis had a tepid year in the US, with sales down 3 percent to 1,260,344 units, dealers are confident that Filosa’s measures will pay off. There is now a noticeably clearer vision, especially in the US, where the new management appears to understand its customers much better than the previous regime.