Throughout 2023, Ford and General Motors saw sales improvements in the USA, but Stellantis went the other way. Now, the automotive conglomerate that includes the Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Fiat in the States is changing its leader in North America. The incoming boss leaves a position where he saw increased sales, market share, and return on investment in 2023.
Effective February 1st, 2024, Mark Stewart will step down from his role as the Chief Operating Officer for Stellantis North America. He joined the automaker in 2018 after leaving a position at Amazon. In 2023, Stellantis experienced a 1% decrease in sales in the USA, while the overall market saw a 13% increase.
Now, Carlos Zarlenga, current president of Stellantis Mexico, is stepping in to turn the ship around. Under Zarlenga’s leadership, the brand is coming off of its best year ever in terms of sales, market share and profits in that market. Two years ago he joined the Stellantis team after leaving a position as the president of GM South America.
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“In the very demanding North American market with many obstacles to overcome in order to foster the performance of the company, Carlos Zarlenga is the best leader among our talent pool to replace Mark Stewart and to drive the change in our business model towards electrification in the region,” said Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, in a statement.
“Carlos Zarlenga has demonstrated his ability to bring together and unite diverse teams and to deliver the expected results. I would like to thank Mark Stewart for his contribution to this role after a three-year cycle, corresponding to the date of creation of Stellantis and I wish him the best in his new position.”
The previous comment raises question such as whether Mark Stewart already has another position lined up elsewhere. If that’s the case, did he initiate the change at Stellantis or did the company? The next few weeks should provide at least one of those answers. For his part, Zarlenga has a big job ahead as Buick, Jeep, RAM, and Dodge all work to be more competitive in the market during 2024.
