Stellantis CEO: Company on pace to fix sales problems after poor performance
Stellantis is fixing its slowing U.S. sales at the right pace after fumbling a marketing plan earlier this year, CEO Carlos Tavares told reporters Monday
DETROIT — Stellantis is fixing its slowing U.S. sales at the right pace after fumbling a marketing plan earlier this year, CEO Carlos Tavares told reporters Monday.
Tavares, who last week pushed out the carmaker's chief financial officer and the chief operating officers for both North America and Europe in a management restructuring, told reporters at the Paris Motor Show that he is responsible for the bad things that have happened at the company, but also for the good.
“If I don't want that responsibility I should do something else,” said Tavares, who reiterated that he plans to retire when his contract expires in 2026. The board last month confirmed that it's searching for a successor.
Tavares said he also should get credit for successfully merging the companies as well as making Peugeot and Opel profitable during the past decade.
He said the company is in a “Darwinian period,” and nothing is off the table including plant closures or shutting down brands. “When you are fighting for survival, you have to consider everything is on the table.”
Stellantis, formed from the 2021 merger of France's PSA Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, has struggled this year in both Europe and the U.S.
In the European Union, it is fighting cuts in government electric vehicle subsidies and Chinese competitors as it tries to sell more EVs to reach a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 55% by 2030. The EU has planned tariffs on imported Chinese EVs.
Sales have been down most of the year in the U.S., and discounts to counter high sticker prices that came after a poor second quarter
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