Stellantis, which owns the former Chrysler as well as Fiat and Peugeot, is reportedly planning to find a successor to Carlos Tavares for his contract expiration in 2026—according to the respected industry weekly Automotive News.
While many liked Tavares’ pledge to give each marque ten years to turn itself around, including Chrysler, Dodge, and Alfa Romeo, few have liked his approach to cost cutting. While Chrysler has thrived when cost cutting used a system approach, considering long term effects, car features, warranty costs, and such, Tavares has focused on supplier part costs and moving engineering and possibly manufacturing jobs to cheaper-labor countries. At least two suppliers are now in legal battles with Stellantis, and the American dealer network has started a public fight with the company. Owners have criticized the company’s pricing, delays in finding warranty parts, and slow new vehicle launches.
Tavares’ history in Europe is a mix of such cost cuts and the successful turnaround of Opel, which was positioned to sell rebadged and retuned Peugeot/Citroën cars. His management of the three marques appears to have been quite successful, and many looked forward to redefinitions of the Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep marques. At this time it appears the first new Chrysler will appear in dealerships in 2026.
The board will reportedly consider turnaround plans on October 9-10 at a meeting in the United States.
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