Stellantis pushes for faster decision-making in bid to rebuild momentum

Stellantis $STLA ( ▼ 2.41% ) is using its leadership restructuring to offer more attentive local-level operations—a shift that could aid in repairing its lost market share and damaged dealer and stakeholder ties.

Rewind to 2024: Last year, Stellantis’ struggles with high inventories and strained dealer and stakeholder relationships were hard to ignore. The manufacturer was sporting a stiff strategy that had missed the mark—and the numbers don’t lie:

• In North America, market share came in at 7.8% at the end of 2024—down from 9.4% in 2023 and 10.7% in 2022, according to Stellantis’ year-end earnings presentation.

At the same time, yearend sales of 1.5 million units were 14.3% lower than in 2023. And inventories were high. 

• Chrysler sat at 79 days, with Ram at 107, Jeep at 114, and Dodge at 122—well above the industry average of 75 days in December, according to Cox Automotive.

But on Tuesday—The company reiterated plans to recapture lost market share through “a more nimble” executive structure, which Chief Financial Officer Doug Ostermann outlined at the Wolfe Research Virtual Auto Summit.

• Stellantis is currently operating with an interim committee of roughly nine executives—down from nearly 30 last year, according to Ostermann.

• He highlighted that the current exec structure is common among other corporate giants and is likely to stay in place.

To his point, with fewer heads at the table, decisions are being made faster—and more efficiently.

Stellantis’ leadership restructuring joins other efforts—like a 4% price adjustment in the latter half of 2024—to rebound from the losses noted in recent years.

Why it matters: Momentum is on the horizon, dealer ordering has improved, and retail volumes were up 10% year over year in February.

Looking ahead: Ostermann is “cautiously optimistic” that Stellantis can right its wrongs. And with a leaner leadership team and sharper regional focus in place, Stellantis is positioned to (maybe) regain dealer trust and capitalize on local trends.

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