Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa speaks at an event in Turin, Italy on November 25, 2025.
Daniele Mascolo | Reuters
Detroit — Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa sees 2026 as a make-or-break year for the struggling company, which makes Jeep, Ram and Dodge vehicles in the U.S., after years of declining market share.
Filosa has been working on a turnaround plan since he was appointed CEO in May. So far, his plans include prioritizing the company’s Jeep and Ram brands in the U.S. and reversing many decisions made by his predecessor, Carlos Tavares, to focus on all-electric vehicles.
“The strategy we have in front of us is a strong one and, if executed well, will lead us to growth,” he told reporters Wednesday during the Detroit Auto Show. “So I think this is the year of execution.”
Filosa, wearing a Jeep vest over a white button-down shirt, said this year was the “first step” in rebuilding the company, which was created five years ago through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and French automaker PSA Group.
He declined to elaborate, adding that management will lay out a detailed future strategy for the automaker at a capital market day in the first half of this year.
Firoza did not rule out the possibility of regionally refocusing or downsizing the company’s vast brand portfolio, which also includes Italian names Fiat and Alfa Romeo, which have underperformed domestically.
Filosa said he does believe the company wants to “continue to work together” after recent Wall Street speculation that it might be better off selling assets and brands.
“We’re building a culture,” Filosa said.
Filosa said the next steps in the company’s plans will be announced next week at a meeting with more than 200 company executives and will focus on capital markets days, company culture and 2026 execution.
“We are a global company with strong local roots,” Filosa said of one of the three guiding cultural principles he tries to instill at the company. Other companies focus on the customer and work collaboratively.
Under Tavares, Stellantis’ global sales fell 12.3% from 6.5 million units in 2021, the year the company was founded, to 5.7 million units in 2024. This includes a roughly 27% decline in sales in the U.S. to 1.3 million units during the same period. The automaker fell from fourth to sixth place in U.S. sales, and its market share fell from 11.6% to 8% during that period.
