Stellantis is at a turning point. Since CEO Carlos Tavares left late last year, the automaker has been changing quickly. For example, it brought back the briefly retired Tim Kuniskis to run Ram, and the company reversed course by extending the availability of the Hellcat engine in the Durango. Sales fell 15 percent in 2024, with Fiat being the only one of the marques to post an increase in deliveries.
There are challenges ahead, though. For example, Ram pushed back the launch of the Rev electric pickup and range-extended Ramcharger.
Stellantis Is Re-Focusing On The United States
Part of the automaker’s new strategy is to focus more on delivering vehicles in the United States. Antonio Filosa, Stellantis’ boss of North American operations, outlined the plan during a media roundtable at the Detroit Auto Show.
“This is obviously what we need to do. U.S. retail market share is our main priority,”
– Filosa, according to CNBC’s reporting.
Part of this strategy is reducing vehicle inventories at dealers by offering discounts.”That cost us a lot, but was needed,” Filosa said, according to Reuters.
There’s also a lingering question about what happens to the American car industry as a whole when President-elect Trump begins his second term. He is proposing levying hefty tariffs on many foreign-made items.
“We are working, obviously, on scenarios. But yes, we need to await his decisions and after the decision of Mr. Trump and his administration, we will work accordingly,”
– Filosa.
Another Perspective
Filosa wasn’t the only Stellantis exec attending the Detroit Auto Show. Ram’s boss, Kuniskis, was also there and shared his views about the company’s past and future.
“We had a bad year. There’s no way to sugarcoat it,” he said. “I’m very bullish on this year … The real part is balancing between the volume and the margin.”
Ram sales dropped 19 percent in 2024, and the division moved a total of 439,039 vehicles. The brand’s pickups were the division’s bestseller, with 373,120 of them delivered.
TopSpeed’s Take
Stellantis needs to change its American business to keep up with competitors. Filosa and Kuniskis’ statements indicate that the company has an improvement plan. Let’s see if the automaker’s situation turns around in 2025.
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