Stellantis has a new CEO. After a nearly 6-month search, Antonio Filosa steps into the vacancy created by the unexpected resignation of Carlos Tavares last December. The 51-year-old Filosa faces some serious challenges, including weak sales by key brands Ram and Jeep. He may also face the question of whether to abandon some of the 14 Stellantis brands, such as Chrysler and Fiat. More from Headlight.News.
New Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa plans to spend the coming weeks meeting with colleagues and hourly workers at the company’s plants worldwide.
Antonio Filosa will become the new CEO of Stellantis, the Euro-American automaker wrapping up a nearly 6-month search created by the unexpected resignation of embattled chief executive Carlos Tavares last December.
During a little more than a year as chief operating officer of the company’s North, Central and South American operations, Filosa has had to address a variety of problems, including plunging sales at two of the key Stellantis brands, Ram and Jeep. Longer term, the 51-year-old Filosa may have to decide whether to retain all 14 of the company’s current brands. Before his departure, Tavares was considering whether Stellantis could continue to support weak marques such as Chrysler, Lancia and Fiat.
Complicating matters, the new CEO will face the challenges posed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported autos and auto parts – and the potential repercussions that could have on Stellantis’ global operations.
A 6-month search
Stellantis spent six months searhing for a replacement for CEO Carlos Tavares.
Stellantis was created through a 2021 merger of fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Groupe PSA, the Paris-based parent of Peugeot and Citroen. Initially, it appeared to be a successful marriage. But things started going south in late 2023 and, the following year, the corporation suffered a sharp decline in sales and earnings, much of that in the critical North American market.
For his part, founding CEO Tavares admitted his own “arrogance” led to a number of faulty moves, such as raising prices beyond what the market would bear on products like the flagship Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Insiders report that a turnaround plan the CEO brought to the board was rejected, leading Tavares to resign.
Chairman John Elkann temporarily took over day-to-day global operations, but the shake-up put a spotlight on the Italian-born Filosa. First assigned to Stellantis’ U.S. headquarters as head of Jeep, he was named COO of the Americas in October 2024 and was already moving to reposition pricing and shake up product plans for U.S.-based brands like Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram.
Plenty of challenges ahead
Sales of key products, like this Ram 1500, have been lagging expectations.
If anything, Filosa now faces even more challenges, a list that very well could include the long-term fate of the company’s brand collection, said Sam Abuelsamid, lead analyst with Telemetry Research. Among the most pressing issues:
- Weak sales and earnings, especially at Ram and Jeep, which Abuelsamid describes as “the cash cows that have kept the company going.” But several recent products – such as the new Jeep Wagoneer and next-generation Ram 1500, have generated lackluster sales;
- Filosa will need to refocus where Stellantis is spending its limited capital. Like some competitors, it may wind up pulling back on EV and connected vehicles programs;
- Early on, Tavares chose to retain all 14 brands brought into the merger by FCA and PSA. It may be time, many observers suggest, to rethink whether weaker marques, such as Chrysler, Lancia and Fiat, should be abandoned, while Alfa Romeo and Maserati might need to be pared back.
Adding to his challenges: the Trump imported auto tariffs could result in changes to the Stellantis product portfolio, as well as where vehicles are produced and where their parts are supplied from.
More Stellantis News
- Carlos Tavares’ Resignation Left Stellantis Rudderless
- Stellantis Tells Employees: Quit Your Job, Get a Check
- New Ram RHO Roars
Global experience
At 51, Antonio Filosa has spent half his life in the auto industry.
With 25 years of experience, Filosa has spent nearly half his life working in the auto industry. The Italian-born executive has clocked much of his time south of the U.S. border, previously serving as Chief Operating Officer of South America.
“Antonio’s deep understanding of our Company, including its people who he views as our core strength, and of our industry equip him perfectly for the role of Chief Executive Officer in this next and crucial phase of Stellantis’ development,” said Stellantis Executive Chairman John Elkann.
In a letter sent to Stellantis employees on Wednesday morning, Filosa said he plans to spend the coming weeks visiting company plants around the world. “Further strengthening the bonds and trust we have with our partners – our dealers, suppliers, unions and communities – is essential and will be a focus for me in this new role.”
Undoing the damage
As COO, one of Filosa’s first steps was to bring Tim Kuniskis out of retirement and naming him head of Ram.
In his role as COO of the Americas, Filosa attempted to reverse some of the mistakes made by his predecessor.
“One of my first decisions has been to bring back talents that we lost in the past,” Filosa said during a media scrum at the Detroit Auto Show last January.
He notably brought Tim Kuniskis back out of retirement in December. The popular executive had been running the Dodge and Ram brands before coming to loggerheads with Tavares last year. Kuniskis is now focused exclusively on the truck brand and has made several key decisions, including delaying both the all-electric and extended-range versions of the full-size Ram 1500 pickup.
Mounting losses
Stellantis Chair John Elkann has been running the company since the unexpected resignation of Carlos Tavares last fall.
In 2024 Stellantis saw year-over-year net revenues tumble 17%, to 156.9 billion euros, or $177.7 billion at current exchange rates. Its net profit of 5.5 billion euros, or $6.2 billion, down 70%. Its downward momentum continued during the first quarter of 2025.
Much of the problem is centered around the U.S. where Stellantis delivered 15% fewer vehicles, a total 1.3 million, for all of 2024.
Chairman Elkann has described 2025 as a “transitional” year. But Stellantis, like the rest of the industry, will have to negotiate a minefield due t the Trump tariffs. Compared to rival Ford, it is heavily dependent on foreign production – the Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands are all assembled in Europe, for one thing, and Ram and Jeep have operations across North America. Add to that the imported parts and components used in all Stellantis vehicles.
The automaker could seek ways to transfer some products over to the U.S. and switch to American suppliers to minimize the potential tariff hit. But such moves would face a variety of challenges and, on the whole, could take several years to execute.
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