Farrish was the top signature on a letter in September admonishing Tavares for a pricing strategy that retailers complained led to a steep sales decline.
Tavares had pushed for cost cuts that alienated many car sellers, suppliers and unions. The company faced lawsuits from shareholders and unfair labour practice charges from the United Auto Workers union.
Stellantis has since been working to repair these connections and lift the company's stock price and North American sales. It brought back longtime executives such as Ram chief Tim Kuniskis to lead its brands. Filosa has been meeting dealers around the country and is expected to speak to the Stellantis dealer council on Wednesday.
The turnaround after Tavares' departure has been slow. First-quarter net revenues fell 14% year over year globally, and were down 25% in North America. Shipments in the region also faltered.
Filosa is tasked with reversing this slump while facing billions in added costs from tariffs on imported cars that US President Donald Trump implemented in April. Stellantis and some other carmakers have suspended their annual guidance, citing uncertainty around the levies.
The company in 2024 imported more than 40% of the 1.2-million vehicles it sold in the US, mostly from Mexico and Canada.
Mark Trudell, GM of Extreme Dodge Chrysler Jeep dealership in Jackson, Michigan, called Filosa's appointment the “right decision” at this time.
“Everything I hear from the inside is he knows the North America market better than his predecessor,” Trudell said. Stellantis executives need to prioritise where to go with the electric-vehicle market and how to handle tariffs, he added.
Thad Szott, dealer partner at Szott Auto Group, said Filosa came to his dealership in White Lake, Michigan, more than a year ago and talked to him for about an hour.
“He has had a lot of experience, listens to US dealer feedback and I'm optimistic we will start taking US market share back,” Szott said.
Stellantis dealers pin US turnaround hopes on new CEO Filosa
Image: Scott Olson/Getty Images
US dealers of Jeep SUVs and Ram pickup trucks are pinning their hopes on new Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa to turn around months of disappointing sales and weakening trust.
The 51-year-old Italian, named on Wednesday to run the global carmaker, has already had plenty of facetime with US dealers as COO of the Americas since December, when Carlos Tavares abruptly quit as CEO.
Sliding US market share factored into Stellantis' search for a new leader.
“He knows what he's doing. He has a manufacturing and quality background, which is important to us,” said former Stellantis National Dealer Council chair Kevin Farrish.
Image: Supplied
Farrish was the top signature on a letter in September admonishing Tavares for a pricing strategy that retailers complained led to a steep sales decline.
Tavares had pushed for cost cuts that alienated many car sellers, suppliers and unions. The company faced lawsuits from shareholders and unfair labour practice charges from the United Auto Workers union.
Stellantis has since been working to repair these connections and lift the company's stock price and North American sales. It brought back longtime executives such as Ram chief Tim Kuniskis to lead its brands. Filosa has been meeting dealers around the country and is expected to speak to the Stellantis dealer council on Wednesday.
The turnaround after Tavares' departure has been slow. First-quarter net revenues fell 14% year over year globally, and were down 25% in North America. Shipments in the region also faltered.
Filosa is tasked with reversing this slump while facing billions in added costs from tariffs on imported cars that US President Donald Trump implemented in April. Stellantis and some other carmakers have suspended their annual guidance, citing uncertainty around the levies.
The company in 2024 imported more than 40% of the 1.2-million vehicles it sold in the US, mostly from Mexico and Canada.
Mark Trudell, GM of Extreme Dodge Chrysler Jeep dealership in Jackson, Michigan, called Filosa's appointment the “right decision” at this time.
“Everything I hear from the inside is he knows the North America market better than his predecessor,” Trudell said. Stellantis executives need to prioritise where to go with the electric-vehicle market and how to handle tariffs, he added.
Thad Szott, dealer partner at Szott Auto Group, said Filosa came to his dealership in White Lake, Michigan, more than a year ago and talked to him for about an hour.
“He has had a lot of experience, listens to US dealer feedback and I'm optimistic we will start taking US market share back,” Szott said.
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