Stellantis is in a not-so-great spot right now, and it needs to get real if it wants to mount any sort of serious turnaround. CEO Antonio Filosa says he’s got the plan to make that happen, and it involves concentrating on about 29% of the brands the Transatlantic automaker actually owns. Stellantis is apparently going to try really hard and focus the majority of its future investments on Jeep, Ram, Peugeot and Fiat — the brands that “really matter,” according to one of five sources who spoke anonymously with Reuters while pointing to higher sales volumes and profits.
The four companies (keep in mind that there are currently 14 brands at Stellantis) will see a “material increase” in their funding. The vehicles made by those four brands will spider web out to the other 10. The latter — like Citroen, Opel and Alfa Romeo — will receive funding to build models using platforms and technologies developed by those core four brands, according to Reuters. They’d then add their own interior and exterior design features to give them a more distinctive look. Don’t worry, good old-fashioned rebadging is still on the table for some models in specific locations.
These brands, which have previously gotten a more even slice of the money pie, will become regional or national in specific markets where they’re strong or where Stellantis views them as having potential, the sources said.
The fate of the 14
There have been rumblings for quite some time that Stellantis should consider closing up shop on some of its brands — especially those that overlap in Europe like Lancia, DS, Citroën and Opel. They all sort of do the same thing at the end of the day. Of course, there’s also Chrysler, which only builds one vehicle at the moment: a 10-year-old minivan. The thing is, though, Filosa isn’t the least bit interested in shuttering any of the world’s fourth-largest automaker’s brands. He apparently sees potential in regions or large national markets, and he gets paid the big bucks to see things like that, so he must be right.
It’s one of the few mantras that have carried over from Carlos Tavares’ time as CEO. When he presided over the merger between FCA and PSA, he refused to consider closing any brands, according to Reuters.
The company’s long-term strategy is set to be outlined in greater detail sooner rather than later, but news about the Fab Four brands is certainly going to be a highlight of whatever plans Filosa has for a company that has been battling to win back market share in both the U.S. and Europe while also facing monstrous competition from Chinese automakers in emerging markets.
To make matters that much bleaker, back in February, it reported a $26.1 billion writedown charge as it backed away from its electrification plans. At the very least, it was the only Big Three automaker to post a sales gain in the first quarter of 2026, but that probably has more to do with the fact that its 2025 sales were so Godawful.
It’ll be interesting to see if Stellantis can actually pull this comeback off. I mean, it’s hardly the first automaker to introduce badge engineering as a way to save money, but few have ever done so while juggling so many companies at the same time. Personally, I think it would be saved if Dodge brought back the third-generation Dodge Challenger, slapped a Hellcat V8 under the hood and called it the Challenger Classic. Tim Kuniskis, you know where to find me.
