When Stellantis was created in 2021, Carlos Tavares, the new CEO of the “new” automaker that grouped together the brands of the PSA (Peugeot Société Anonyme) and FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) groups, said that each of the group's banners would have a 10-year period in which to prove itself, to demonstrate its viability.
In other words, no brands would be sacrificed before 2030. The Stellantis group of brands includes Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram and Vauxhall.
New realities
However, for almost a year now, Stellantis and several of its brands have been shaken by a variety of problems. Those range from quality issues with some models to falling sales to financial losses that have caused investors a lot of worry.
There have been several rumours about the demise of one brand or another, all denied by senior management.
In the last few weeks, we learned that Carlos Tavares would be retiring at the end of his mandate, at the beginning of 2026.
That is a game-changer, and in the wake of its announcement, this week came confirmation from Tavares that, starting in 2026, each Stellantis division will undergo a detailed review to determine the size of its portfolio and its future.
“We will review the performance of each brand at around two-thirds of the way through the Dare Forward 2030 plan, which means decisions will be made within two to three years.”
- Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO, on October 14
In view of Tavares' planned retirement, the ultimate decision on the future of the automaker's 14 brands will thus most likely rest with his successor.
One thing is certain: if things don't turn around quickly for some of them, drastic measures are on the way, because the whole empire will be threatened.
