We will solely think about that working Stellantis have to be one of the tough jobs within the automotive business. Having to handle no fewer than 14 manufacturers throughout your complete international is just not for the faint-hearted. It is very true once you bear in mind there’s some overlap between a number of corporations. Regardless of the chance of gross sales cannibalization, the company umbrella is not altering.
In a brand new assertion, Stellantis says it is “not pursuing splitting off any of its manufacturers” and is reaffirming its dedication to all 14 of them. As well as, the preliminary promise made in 2021 to maintain all the “highly effective, iconic manufacturers” remains to be in place. Meaning the likes of Lancia, DS Vehicles, Abarth, and the remainder of the gang will stay a part of the conglomerate till at the very least the tip of the last decade.
The succinct press launch from Stellantis is a response to a video lately posted by Walter P. Chrysler’s great-grandson on YouTube. Ideally, Frank B. Rhodes, Jr. would need Dodge and Chrysler out of Stellantis to kind a brand new Chrysler Company. Nevertheless, that is simpler mentioned than carried out since he’s additionally looking for buyers to make it occur. In mild of the brand new announcement made by Stellantis, the 2 American manufacturers are staying the place they’re.
This reaffirmed long-term dedication from Stellantis comes solely a month after the CEO hinted unprofitable manufacturers might be killed. Carlos Tavares declared that automakers hemorrhaging cash will get the axe: “If they do not earn a living, we’ll shut them down. We can not afford to have manufacturers that don’t earn a living.”
Instantly after this assertion was made, Reuters cited business consultants saying Maserati might be up on the market and that both Lancia or DS Vehicles might be phased out. Nevertheless, it appears none of that is true since all 14 will proceed underneath Stellantis. It actually would not make sense to terminate Lancia now contemplating the Italian model is lastly getting new fashions and is as soon as once more increasing its presence exterior its home market.
Maserati can also be freshening up its lineup, so it wants time to show its value. As for DS, it is labeled by Stellantis as a “premium” model alongside Alfa Romeo and Lancia whereas Maserati is “luxurious.” The French marque by no means took off because it turned a separate model in 2014, and lots of are nonetheless attempting to grasp why it was spun off from Citroën within the first place. It will’ve made extra sense to maintain DS as a high-end trim degree.
Abarth as we all know it has been an unbiased entity since 2007 and has been promoting amped-up Fiats. Once more, why not simply use Abarth because the sporty trim? This brings us to our subsequent query: What’s with the obsession some automobile corporations have with launching a number of sub-brands?
The state of affairs on the US aspect is simply as sophisticated seeing as how Chrysler is now merely a shadow of its former glory. Having killed the getting older 300C sedan, it’s all the way down to a single mannequin–the Pacifica minivan. Dodge’s portfolio isn’t overflowing with merchandise both however at the very least there’s larger selection after including the Hornet, albeit it is a reskinned Alfa Romeo Tonale. The brand new Charger comes with electrical and inline-six energy however the V-8 is unfortunately useless. You’ll be able to nonetheless get a HEMI within the Durango however the Hellcat Silver Bullet is the epilogue.
As for the opposite manufacturers we did not point out, they’re too large to fail. Sure, that features Alfa Romeo. We simply cannot think about the model going away. A brand new Stelvio is coming subsequent 12 months, with the next-gen Giulia to observe in 2026. The SUV and sedan duo will likely be underpinned by the identical platform that Dodge used for the brand new Charger however with a distinct design. Earlier this 12 months, Alfa CEO Jean Philippe Imparato advised us the brand new Giulia seems “the bomb.”
Jeep, Ram, Citroën, Fiat, Opel/Vauxhall, and Peugeot ought to be simply high quality as they’re aggressive manufacturers, regardless of lagging gross sales in some markets. Let’s understand that past these 14 corporations, Stellantis additionally has a 51% share in Leapmotor Worldwide, a three way partnership with Leapmotor by which it has a 20% share. China-made EVs are already in Europe and will likely be exported to the Center East & Africa, Asia Pacific, and South America from the tip of 2024.
