Jeep parent Stellantis selects insider Antonio Filosa as New CEO

Stellantis $STLA ( ▲ 1.58% ) which oversees a dozen brands, including Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, and Ram, is betting on an automotive industry veteran to lead what might be its most ambitious performance turnaround plan to date.

Driving the news: The automaker announced Wednesday that Filosa will replace Carlos Tavares effective June 23. Tavares unexpectedly resigned in December after profits cratered and U.S. sales went off a cliff.

The details: Filosa has been at Stellantis for 25 years and was already running North America as COO since December 2024. He's been cutting dealer inventory, reshuffling leadership, and trying to repair relationships with dealers who were mad enough to write a public letter roasting the company in September.

Why this matters: Stellantis lost 630,000 sales and over 3.5% market share from 2018-2024 by discontinuing popular models like the Dodge Grand Caravan, Jeep Cherokee, and Jeep Renegade while trying to sell $70-100K vehicles to luxury buyers.

• Meanwhile, new models like the Dodge Hornet and Jeep Wagoneer only added about 76,000 sales.

• Earlier this year, they started reversing course—Jeep and Dodge prices were down 9%, Chrysler down 5%, according to Cox Automotive.

But the price drops likely won't last.

The challenge: Filosa is inheriting a mess. The company withdrew its financial guidance and faces 25% tariffs on vehicles from Canada and Mexico (which make up 40% of U.S. sales). That could cost Stellantis 17% of annual profits.

Bottom line: Mike Bettenhausen, Chairman of the Stellantis National Dealer Council, recently told CDG he's "enjoying working with the likes of Antonio Filosa, Tim Kuniskis, Christine Fuell" after going "through hell" under the previous regime. That dealer support is huge given how toxic things got. But this turnaround will take years. At least now there's someone in charge who dealers trust for now.

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