Stellantis names new CEO: Antonio Filosa

[OFFRD]

How is the Dodge brand going to pick up steam without any meaningful product?
Same thing with Chrysler. Either provide some product, or put it out of its misery.
With as many marques as Stellantis markets, one would think that they could find something to rebadge or recobble.
Alfa product hasn't exactly created a desired result.
Opels anyone?

How are they going to get meaningful product without a leader who "gets it"?

They put the perfect guy in charge. He knows the U.S. consumer and he knows how to develop product that will sell. If they leave him alone, which Tavares didn't do, Ram will rebound next year. Just watch.

 

[D60]

Fiat massively overhauled the interiors, improving them immensely. The difference between the Daimler-era interiors and the FIAT ones is very pronounced.

The Daimler era also gave us the WK2, which is still being used for the Durango.

Interesting! I didn't know the Durango was on the WK2 platform. If only the sheetmetal weren't so bloated. It looks like everyone you see at your high school reunion after remembering them from high school

 

[walterjay]

I wish them the best. I want to see them succeed.

 

[goblin]

Ditto

 

[OVERKILL]

Interesting! I didn't know the Durango was on the WK2 platform. If only the sheetmetal weren't so bloated. It looks like everyone you see at your high school reunion after remembering them from high school

Yeah, while the GC (and prior to that, the GC-L) moved to the WL platform (shared with Alfa) the Durango stayed on the WK2 platform.

One thing I am not a big fan of is the "performance appearance" packages they've really gone balls-in on with the Durango. You can basically buy an SRT Durango with everything but the engine, which sort of defeats the purpose... My dealer has one in their showroom right now, black-on-black, air extractor hood, SRT front clip, Brembo brakes (but not the 2-piece rotors) and with blacked-out "345" badges on the sides instead of 392.

I appreciate that this is very BMW "M-Sport" of them, but M car owners aren't a huge fan of those generally either, lol.

I pity the first owner who goes to get their front brakes replaced at 45,000km and has a stroke when they get the estimate.

 

[earlyre]

Yeah, while the GC (and prior to that, the GC-L) moved to the WL platform (shared with Alfa) the Durango stayed on the WK2 platform.

One thing I am not a big fan of is the "performance appearance" packages they've really gone balls-in on with the Durango. You can basically buy an SRT Durango with everything but the engine, which sort of defeats the purpose... My dealer has one in their showroom right now, black-on-black, air extractor hoot, SRT front clip, Brembo brakes (but not the 2-piece rotors) and with blacked-out "345" badges on the sides instead of 392.

I appreciate that this is very BMW "M-Sport" of them, but M car owners aren't a huge fan of those generally either, lol.

I pity the first owner who goes to get their front brakes replaced at 45,000km and has a stroke when they get the estimate.

So kinda like they did with the "SRT-D"( SRT-Design) neon at the end of the run... it was just an SXT trim, the Vin Decoded to an SXT, but they slapped all the "look at me, I'm a racecar!" bodywork from the SRT-4 on to it. Bigger Wing, SRT bumpers, SRT hood (with the scoop blocked/blanked),Dual exhaust tips, etc.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Fiat has one of the best balance sheets of all the traditional auto companies on earth (ie not Tesla, not BYD, etc). Renewed leadership could certainly help them. I am not sure this guy is that. Probably the hatchet man - come in, cut what needs cutting, retire. My guess.

Every automaker who has bought/owned Jeep brand has failed.

I would argue its the other way around. They kept AMC around a decade longer than they would have otherwise, they kept Chrysler around a decade longer than they otherwise would have - and so on and so forth.

 

[OVERKILL]

So kinda like they did with the "SRT-D"( SRT-Design) neon at the end of the run... it was just an SXT trim, the Vin Decoded to an SXT, but they slapped all the "look at me, I'm a racecar!" bodywork from the SRT-4 on to it. Bigger Wing, SRT bumpers, SRT hood (with the scoop blocked/blanked),Dual exhaust tips, etc.

Yeah, though the HEMI at least is a reasonable motivator for the vehicle, but it's definitely nowhere near as fast as the 392, so it's a bit poseur.

 

[hemioiler]

Toyota was inexpensive and econoboxy. To get new clients from a higher bracket - in the US - they had to create a luxury brand. They gave rich people a decent excuse to be seen in a Toyota without being laughed at. Lexus covered a new bracket. It was adding something new and bringing more sales.

Dodge has always had a Ram, and it was a thing of beauty. Dodge Ram sounded proud. Dodge Truck sounded proud.

Spinning it into a separate brand was a cheap trick that took a chunk out of Dodge and made it smaller. It hurt it further by implying that the brand had become so crappy that the stuff that still sold well shouldn't be associated with it.

It didn't do anything extra for the trucks, didn't bring anything, didn't make them sell better or worse, didn't add any value, didn't create a new market, didn't bring extra sales, as they'd sell no matter what they are called.

And it happened at a time when the whole country was hurting and when the last thing traditional American brands needed was name dilution. It was a dumb and needless move. Add a new meaningless brand at a time when a boatload of traditional meaningful brands were being killed.



I sympathize with your linguistical predicament, but I'm not that helpful of a type

Maybe you should look at year over year sales. At one point Ram was outselling Chevy. Clearly whatever concerns you have about sales are inaccurate.

 

[goblin]

Maybe you should look at year over year sales. At one point Ram was outselling Chevy. Clearly whatever concerns you have about sales are inaccurate.

Clearly you should read my post again. I never analyzed Ram's sales for good or bad, and never had any concerns about them.
I said that they would have been exactly the same sales if it was still named Dodge, and that splitting Ram to a separate brand hurt DODGE - the non-truck part. So here.

 

[ripcord]

They shoulda picked a new CEO who's name doesn't sound like a drug name.

My doc has me on Stelantis and Filosa for my high blood pressure.

 

[ripcord]

They shoulda picked a new CEO who's name doesn't also sound like a drug name.

"My doc has me on Stelantis and Filosa for my high blood pressure."

 

[D60]

They shoulda picked a new CEO who's name doesn't also sound like a drug name.

"My doc has me on Stelantis and Filosa for my high blood pressure."

Oh please, it's definitely an ED med. Imagine a blonde flirting with the camera with her eyes as she says in a playful yet sultry voice, "Stellantis: for when the time is right."

 

[hemioiler]

Clearly you should read my post again. I never analyzed Ram's sales for good or bad, and never had any concerns about them.
I said that they would have been exactly the same sales if it was still named Dodge

That's debatable. If we're looking at data, the years they split from Dodge are the best years.

, and that splitting Ram to a separate brand hurt DODGE - the non-truck part. So here.

Also debatable. You're not giving any evidence, just opinions.

But not worth arguing about either.

 

[SC Maintenance]

How are they going to get meaningful product without a leader who "gets it"?

They put the perfect guy in charge. He knows the U.S. consumer and he knows how to develop product that will sell. If they leave him alone, which Tavares didn't do, Ram will rebound next year. Just watch.

No one will rebound next year, everyone is out of money.

RAM sales tracked there normal predictable pattern - new truck launch in 2019 peaked and decline from there. If they launch a new one certain people need the newest bright and shiny, so they will sell a bunch. Until someone else launches a new one. Rinse repeat.

60% of full size truck owners buy the same brand as last time. The average age of a new truck buyer is 55 or so. The historical bias of the pick up truck market ensures the legacy three maintain this market in spite of themselves.

 

[PF52]

What's next, making Wrangler a standalone brand too? Tundra? Mustang? Camry?

Ram as a standalone brand is basically Geo or Scion, except with trucks.

 

[hemioiler]

What's next, making Wrangler a standalone brand too? Tundra? Mustang? Camry?

Ram as a standalone brand is basically Geo or Scion, except with trucks.

Tundra and mustang and camry are individual models.

Ram is a brand that makes quite a few models, 1500, 2500, 3500, chassis cab, promaster vans/trucks etc

Dodge is a brand that makes cars and suv's. Ram is a brand that builds trucks and one truck (1500) is kind of a crossover between passenger and work, but Ram basically only has a work/truck focus. It makes complete sense to me that they'd choose to separate.

 

[goblin]

...

But not worth arguing about either.

Bingo

... It makes complete sense to me that they'd choose to separate.

In 2025 - yes.
When rhe separation was made - Dodge Trucks was a proud name of a proud brand building proud trucks among other things.

In 2005, any kid buying a Neon could identify with their uncle driving a big ballsy Dodge truck and with every Dodge truck around a corner.

In 2010 any kid buying a Caliber could identify with their aunt driving a Caravan.

In 2020, this kid will have grown, could have bought a handful of RAM trucks, but he'll be daily driving an Asian small car.

The trucks were the train engine of the brand. Then the engine went ahead on its own. The remaining railcars are heroically huffing and puffing, sure.

 

[D60]

Still, the best was right at the time when the Ram "split" happened they were trying to hammer into the public and the media it's just Ram now -- NOT Dodge Ram

Then Four Wheeler tested the Power Wagon for that year and pointed out the dash had a giant DODGE plaque on it.

Oh the irony -- and incompetence -- is so rich I can taste it.

 

[hemioiler]

Still, the best was right at the time when the Ram "split" happened they were trying to hammer into the public and the media it's just Ram now -- NOT Dodge Ram

Then Four Wheeler tested the Power Wagon for that year and pointed out the dash had a giant DODGE plaque on it.

Oh the irony -- and incompetence -- is so rich I can taste it.

Oh no. What horror.