How Would You Save Stellantis?

If you’re in the market for a new job, Stellantis has an opening as CEO Carlos Tavares resigned last weekend. The departure came as a surprise as the executive was slated to retire in 2026, but left earlier due to a dispute with the company’s board.

A successor is slated to be picked in the first half of 2025 but, in the meantime, feel free to throw your hat into the ring and tell us how you’d fix things. Needless to say, there’s no shortage of problems as the company is facing declining sales, depleted lineups, and too many brands. That’s just scratching the surface, but the next CEO has a plate full of problems and that’s before mentioning labor issues on both sides of the Atlantic.

More: Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares Resigns After Leadership Tensions Reach Breaking Point

Starting in America, let’s face reality and kill off Chrysler and Fiat. Chrysler is a hard one to let go, but it’s ‘damaged goods’ at this point and reviving the brand would take a lot of time, money, and effort. Those resources can probably be better spent elsewhere and it’s easy enough to slap Dodge logos on the Pacifica and call it a day.

Fiat’s death is a no-brainer as the brand never caught on in America. Q3 sales totaled a mere 235 units, meaning the Chrysler 300 outsold the 500e by nearly 4:1. That’s even more shocking when you consider the sedan went out of production nearly a year ago. That being said, Fiat makes sense in other markets so don’t kill the brand entirely.

The rest of the U.S. lineup isn’t too bad as Jeep is slated to get their mess sorted out in the next few years thanks, in part, to the return of the Cherokee and Renegade. That being said, pricing is still an issue and I’d work on getting cheaper – possibly gas-powered – versions of the Wagoneer S to market ASAP as its $70,795 price tag is likely a non-starter for a lot of people.

Over at Dodge, you can complain about the death of the Hemi V8 all you want, but that ship has sailed. Instead, pour money into a new entry-level crossover and a redesigned Durango. We’d also like to see a more compelling Hornet, built in America and in higher numbers.

In Europe, it’s time to slice and dice to eliminate brands and overlap. Who goes and who stays is up for debate, but DS Automobiles and Lancia would be relatively easy to cut. While they have new and upcoming product, it might be easier to divert them elsewhere.

And then there’s the elephant in the room that’s Alfa Romeo. A brand loved by many, but bought by very few. In the U.S., even the Chevy Camaro, which was axed in January 2024, managed to outsell the Giulia in Q3, despite the fact that the latter is one of the best looking and fun to drive cars in its segment. But with just three models in its lineup (four if you count the Junior, which might not make it Stateside), one of which, the Tonale, is sold as a badge-engineered (and much cheaper) Dodge, a meager marketing budget (just $3 million compared to RAM’s $124 million), and a reputation for reliability issues that it apparently can’t shake off, it’s no surprise that Alfa Romeo is struggling. Killing such a historic brand would be very difficult, but without the products and awareness to back it up, the future doesn’t look rosy.

While that’s one brief scenario, it’s not very exciting and leaves enthusiasts wanting. However, business is business, and if you’ve got a better idea, let’s hear it.