Stellantis announced Monday new leadership for two of its brands, with Matt VanDyke taking over as CEO at Ram and Branden Coté as CEO of Jeep.
Driving the news: Both VanDyke and Coté join Stellantis, bringing a long record of executive experience in the auto industry.
VanDyke served as President of Shift Digital most recently and, before that, was CEO of FordDirect and held several other leadership roles in the company.
Coté was Brand President for AutoNation and previously worked at Ashton Martin and Mercedes.
Current Jeep CEO takes medical leave: Coté will replace Bob Broderdorf, who posted on his LinkedIn that he is taking medical leave after a cancer diagnosis. Broderdorf had been the Jeep CEO since early 2025 and plans to remain with the company upon his return from medical leave.
What they’re saying: “Matt and Branden are proven leaders who will build on our successes and take these iconic American brands to the next level,” said Tim Kuniskis, head of American brands, North America marketing and retail strategy, Stellantis North America, in a press release. “Their skills and deep industry experience align with our simple – but very important – customer-centric objective: to provide people with the brands and products they love and trust.”
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Bottom line: The leadership change comes as Stellantis posted a 5% increase in sales in the first half of 2026 compared to 2025, delivering 634,187 vehicles.
Specifically, Ram, through the first half of the year, has seen sales increase 15%, with 235,33 vehicles sold.
Jeep is 1% off 2025 sales, though the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer have seen double-digit growth. “Formatting will show once previewed. Italic should be set here. Also include quote marks.”
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