Stellantis Is Prioritizing Just Four Core Brands, And Dodge Isn't One
If there's an automotive company that ever feels like it's in a state of permanent flux, that brand is Stellantis. The group never really feels settled, possibly a consequence of CEO shakeups and ever-evolving markets.
Now, current CEO Antonio Filosa has reportedly stated that only four of the sub-companies will take priority: Jeep, Ram, Peugeot, and Fiat. Notably omitted from the list is Dodge, not to mention others like Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and more.
The reality is that car companies are businesses, and businesses generally follow the money first and foremost. With EV sales in the dumpster, Stellantis is pivoting much of its business plan to accommodate the modern buyer. This means pumping more time, money, and energy into the companies that drive its profits the most.
This is good news for Jeep, Ram, Peugeot, and Fiat; that is, companies that rely largely on their newer and more recently updated—but still gas-powered—offerings.
For Dodge, though, this isn't great news. Aside from the new Charger, the company's lineup is effectively ancient: The third-generation Durango debuted for the 2011 model year, and the Hornet felt 10 years old when it landed for the 2023 model year. Dodge already pulled the plug on the model.
So with only the Durango and Charger sticking around for 2026, the brand is on life support. Stellantis realizes this and is turning to its other arms that can actually help drive profits while the market figures itself out.
With only Jeep, Ram, Peugeot, and Fiat getting the financial investments (i.e., budgets) needed to keep pushing hard on their new models, it leaves a lot of brands hung out to dry. Also in Stellantis' catalog are Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lancia, Opel, Citroen, DS, Vauxhall, and so on. Many of these storied and iconic brands will now have to get by on the scraps left to them by Stellantis once the majority of the funding has gone to those top four.
Hopefully, these restricted budgets don't really put any of Stellantis' less-prioritized brands on the chopping block, and thankfully, it sounds like Filosa isn't trying to go that route; he's just favoring some of his stronger, smarter, and more popular children over the ones that fill niches and may have lost their way.
Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.
Based in Connecticut, Ross hosts The Hooniverse Podcast. He has been in the off-road world since he was a kid riding in the back of his dad’s YJ Wrangler. He works in marketing by day and in his free time contributes to Hooniverse, AutoGuide, and ATV.com, and in the past has contributed to UTV Driver, ATV Rider, and Everyday Driver. Ross drives a 2018 Lexus GX460 that is an ongoing build project featured on multiple websites and the podcast.
More by Ross Ballot
Comments
Join the conversation
Spinning off RAM was stupid. Should have kept it part of Dodge. Dodge could be a cash cow for the company in the US if it was managed properly.
As found in researching Jeeps regarding the 2.0L engine:
Yeah, we off-roaders want that. After the embarrassing 4XE, It has become accepted that the Jeep brand, in the hands of a Euro conglomerate, cannot be trusted to deliver economical, dependable, down-to-earth, every man access to American styled back country wheeling. There is no access to such terrain in Europe. So, why are we expected to buy something European, promoted as being so all-American?