Wrapping up a nearly six-month search, Stellantis has today announced the appointment of Antonio Filosa as the company’s CEO, a position that has been conspicuously vacant following the unexpected resignation of founding chief executive Carlos Tavares last December.
51-year-old Filosa has been serving as COO of the Euro-American automaker’s North American operation, overseeing a turnaround plan triggered by plunging sales and earnings, primarily at key brands Jeep and Ram.
“Antonio’s deep understanding of our Company, including its people who he views as our core strength, and of our industry equip him perfectly for the role of Chief Executive Officer in this next and crucial phase of Stellantis’ development,” said Stellantis Executive Chairman John Elkann.
Filosa’s North America Turnaround Sets the Stage
An Italian native, Filosa has spent 25 years in the automotive industry. He’s served in a variety of positions, and in a number of countries, since joining Stellantis. He initially moved to the automaker’s headquarters two years ago to run the struggling Jeep division before being named chief operating officer for the Americas in 2024.
He plans to appoint a new management team on June 23, according to a statement by Stellantis.
In the meantime, Filosa said in a letter to employees, “I will travel to our plants and offices around the world, where I am excited to meet and listen to many of you in-person.” His initial goal, he explained, will be “further strengthening the bonds and trust we have with our partners – our dealers, suppliers, unions and communities – is essential and will be a focus for me in this new role.”
Tavares’ Departure and Boardroom Tensions
Stellantis was officially created in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and French-based PSA, parent of Peugeot and Citroen. It immediately became one of the world’s largest automakers and initially appeared to have plenty of positive momentum. But things turned south last year, especially in the U.S. market where sales tumbled sharply at Ram and Jeep, brands analyst Sam Abuelsamid, of Telemetry Research, described as the corporation’s “cash cows.”
Jeep
Once seen as one of the industry’s most savvy CEOs, Tavares found himself taking heat for a variety of problems which he blamed on his own “arrogance.” A turnaround strategy failed to gain the full support of the Stellantis board, leading the executive to tender his resignation.
That touched off a search for a replacement, while Stellantis Chairman John Elkann filled in overseeing day-to-day operations. In his own role as COO of the Americas, Filosa was effectively second in command and was widely seen as the person to beat in the search for a new chief executive.
Evaluating Stellantis’ Brand Portfolio
“The company has done a number of things to move forward,” notably in the US, under Filosa, said Stephanie Brinley, principle analyst with S&P Global Mobility. Among other things, he has realigned pricing on key product lines, while rejiggering the timing of products in the automaker’s pipeline. He’s also addressed ongoing quality problems that have routinely seen brands like Jeep, Ram and Chrysler hover well below average, according to J.D. Power.
Ram
That said, there are a number of challenges Filosa will face as he expands his responsibilities worldwide, said Abuelsamid.
He has to continue building back sales across a portfolio of 14 separate brands. Indeed, he will need to be “Looking at the overall brand line-up and deciding which potentially could be culled,” added Abuelsamid. “Is it worth continuing to invest in Chrysler or Lancia or Alfa Romeo or Fiat?”
Trump Tariffs Add to Industry Pressure
The new Stellantis CEO will also face the challenge of trying to sort through the new tariffs on imported autos and auto parts enacted earlier this month by Pres. Donald Trump. That has thrown the entire auto industry into chaos and, at Stellantis, that could accelerate the need to address marketing and manufacturing issues left unresolved when Tavares resigned last year.
Stellantis
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