• The head of Stellantis in Canada says not to expect to see any of the group's European brands in North America.
Since the departure of Carlos Tavares, head of the Stellantis group since Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and PSA (Peugeot Société Anonyme) merged in 2021, things have been moving within the company. Among other things, it’s clear there’s a change of philosophy regarding the company’s vision for the North American market.
One of the questions relating to the futures of the company's brands concerns the possibility of European models crossing the Atlantic. Those who were hoping for a development in this area can likely forget it. According to Jeff Hines, the head of Stellantis in Canada, none of the company's European brands will be coming to Canada.
When asked about this possibility by Automotive News, he was candid: “No, I don't think so. I don't think we'll have Opel or Peugeot or any of the European-centric brands here. If there are products that work in Europe, those are some of the things we're looking at today that could fit here.”
In 2019, you may recall, FCA announced it was bringing the Peugeot brand back to North America, in 2026. The project was abandoned two years later.
No brands, but maybe models?
That said, we can interpret Hines’ remarks to mean that the door remain open for certain models that could make the leap here. Case in point, the Jeep Avenger all-electric SUV, launched in Europe but not originally intended for North America, for reasons of being too small.
Hines said the Avenger would be a “fantastic product” that would meet needs in the electric subcompact SUV segment. It would also enable the brand to offer a more affordable vehicle, something lacking across the industry – and across the Jeep model lineup.
What is certain is that Stellantis’ group responsible for North America, group that includes Stellantis COO Antonio Filosa and Chairman of the Board John Elkann understands that market better than did Carlos Tavares, who had a more controversial view of what should be done on our continent.
Said Hines, “Antonio Filosa is our COO. He lives in Metro Detroit. Our chairman, John Elkann, is here all the time. So, the 100-percent focus of the Stellantis group globally is North America. When you live here day to day, your ability to understand the consumer goes up tenfold. And so, I have all the faith in Antonio that we’ll bring the right products at the right time and at the right price that work for our dealers and for our customers.
There are thus reasons for optimism regarding the future of Stellantis in North America - provided the right decisions are made.