Stellantis: The automaker’s history, legacy
Explore the history of Stellantis, the automotive giant formed in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group.
- Antonio FIlosa takes the helm amid economic instability in the U.S. auto market and declining Stellantis revenue.
- Filosa aims to grow Stellantis’ presence in the U.S., its largest market.
Stellantis has named Antonio Filosa as the second CEO in the company’s history, taking over after a year of turmoil for the automaker.
Filosa, 51, from Naples, Italy, has been an executive at the company since Stellantis’ formation in 2021, when Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot maker PSA Group merged. Filosa’s ties to the company date back to 1999, when he began with Fiat. He later served as the CEO of the Jeep brand.
Recently, Filosa’s responsibilities at Stellantis have ramped up. He served as the chief operating officer of the Americas while also taking on the role of chief quality officer — a role he assumed in February 2025. Now he will lead the fourth-largest automaker in the world, overseeing Stellantis’ full lineup, which includes Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, Lancia and Vauxhall.
When he was chief operating officer for South America, Brazil became the second-largest volume market for Jeep vehicles, second to the United States.
Filosa takes on leadership at a time when the automotive market in the United States is facing stark economic instability. Earlier this year, Stellantis announced it would be suspending its financial guidance for 2025, citing “tariff-related uncertainties.” In its latest earnings report, Stellantis saw a 14% dip in revenue during the first quarter of 2025. The year prior told a similar story: In 2024, Stellantis saw a 70% drop in net profit compared with 2023.
Sales fell 15% in 2024 compared with the year before, and the company in April reported that first-quarter sales this year dropped 12% from the same quarter last year.
In the past 12 months, Stellantis shares have lost half their value, closing Tuesday at $10.44.
Recently, Filosa has expressed interest in fostering the growth of Stellantis vehicles in the United States.
“To us, the U.S. is the biggest market Stellantis has the privilege to operate in. It’s the biggest priority,” Filosa told the Free Press at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
According to data from the end of 2024, Stellantis currently employs approximately 34,000 people in Michigan, 75,000 nationwide and more than 248,000 globally.
On June 23, Filosa will officially begin his role and unveil his team of executives.
Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, said the new CEO is what the company needs to reverse its slipping profits, mounting concerns over quality and a stained relationship with North American dealers.
“(Filosa) has got a lot of experience from North and South America, working with Jeep, working with all the important parts of the company,” Fiorani said. “In recent years, North America hasn’t been on the radar as strongly as it should have been for the early years of Stellantis.”
A leader who knows the importance of Stellantis’ North American market “is going to help the company make it through this decade and into the future,” Fiorani said.
As Stellantis’ future begins under Filosa, it may not be easy or smooth. Fiorani said the company has some tough decisions to make: It will likely have to pare down the number of brands it offers, emphasize (or shrink) production in China, and take extra steps to create efficient production across brands.
“These things are going to be longer-term issues, and it’s not going to happen in the first few weeks,” Fiorani said. “But they’re all points that need to be addressed because this is a global company.”
Succeeding Tavares
Filosa replaces the first CEO of Stellantis, Carlos Tavares, who resigned in 2024. During his abbreviated tenure, Tavares maintained strained relationships with both American dealers and the UAW, which spent months calling for his resignation during its “Keep the Promise” picket campaign in 2024.
Through a series of filed and retracted grievances, the UAW alleged Stellantis was falling short of staffing numbers and investments promised in a 2023 bargaining agreement struck between the company and the union.
At the same time, U.S. Stellantis dealers took the extraordinary step of writing a public letter criticizing the company’s operations. Calling Tavares’ leadership “reckless short-term decision-making,” the dealers chided the company for jeopardizing their hallmark American brands: Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram.
“The reckless short-term decision-making to secure record profits in 2023 has had devastating, yet entirely predictable, consequences in the US market,” the letter read.
Under Filosa, Stellantis hopes to reverse those consequences.
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Liam Rappleye: LRappleye@freepress.com
This is a developing story and will be updated.
