Tim Kuniskis is returning to Stellantis to lead the RAM brand as its CEO once again after originally quitting from the same position earlier this year, according to Automotive News. The Auburn Hills-based auto conglomerate rehired Kuniskis after the company’s CEO, Carlos Tavares, resigned last week in the manufacturer’s latest executive team shake-up. Kuniskis retired in summer of 2024 and is often highly credited for overhauling Dodge and its resurgence as a muscle and performance car brand throughout the 2010s.
He will replace Chrysler’s former CEO, Chris Feuell, who briefly led the RAM brand following his departure earlier this year. Feuell will move on to lead Alfa Romeo’s North American operations following Larry Dominique. This recent executive team overhaul at the Mopar divisions of Stellantis is the result of a variety of changes after a difficult year of slumping sales left the auto conglomerate in a rough position that threatened its financial stability in the near future.
Kuniskis “Knows” The Brand And “Isn’t Just A Suit”
When Stellantis appointed former CEO Carlos Tavares to run the conglomerate, Kuniskis continued his role at Dodge as the brand’s CEO up through 2023, which is when he shifted to lead the RAM brand. It wasn’t until earlier this year that Kuniskis then quit for unknown reasons, along with Jim Morrison, Jeep’s former North American head honcho. But after a quarterly sales report and meeting revealed drastic dips in sales earlier this year, many of which came from a bucket load of dealership complaints over inventory issues and high prices, Stellantis found itself in an arduous situation.
Throughout his tenure at Dodge, Kuniskis built himself a strong reputation for not only helping to resuscitate the brand as the “Brotherhood of Muscle” and a purveyor of modern American muscle cars, but also for being popular among dealers for his ability to understand their wants as well as their customers’ demands. Many refer to him as a very “down-to-earth guy. He’s not a suit,” according to Michael Bettanhausen, Stellantis’ incoming chairman for Stellantis’ dealership council in the U.S.
“Tim has the ability to transcend and make an impact across all brands even if he’s focusing on one or two of them, as he’s done in the past,” Bettenhausen continued.
“He brings a wealth of knowledge, and I think everyone in the company at some point of time has leaned on Tim for guidance and advice. You just can’t get those 32 years of sales and marketing experience he has and let it sit idle.”
After Kuniskis left, RAM sales in the U.S. reportedly tanked by 24 percent in the first nine months of this year, causing analysts to sound one of several alarms, raising major concerns for the company’s financial performance this year, particularly as RAM is one of Stellantis’ most profitable and successful brands. This led to some thinking that Stellantis was heading in the direction of impending doom and failure, which had others believing that the company could liquidate some of its 14 brands to help reduce its struggling financial situation. However, Stellantis later released an official statement that it will keep all of its 14 brands moving forward.
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