Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares abruptly resigned late last year, leading the automaker to assign an interim chief executive. While the new CEO won’t be known until later this year, Stellantis executives have appointed new leaders at three of its brands, including Jeep, DS, and Peugeot.
Jeep North America chose Bob Broderdorf as its head last year, and he will now oversee the entire brand. The Jeep name has been sullied in recent years with even more quality issues than usual and extreme pricing, but Broderdorf is optimistic, saying the brand’s energy is high and that it’s readying “cool stuff” for the future.
Alain Favey is stepping up as Peugeot’s new head, and the higher-end DS Automobiles brand picked up Xavier Peugeot as its leader. The French automaker wants to target the ultra-luxury end of the market, tackling brands like Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and others.
Stellantis has promised a wider range of powertrain options, including combustion engines, in new products soon. The company discontinued its popular Hellcat V8 engines last year in favor of the new Hurricane six-cylinder mills, but recent changes in vehicle emissions regulations may open the door for the thirsty V8s to return.
Of course, none of that accounts for the recently signed tariffs that could upend a large portion of Stellantis’ supply chain. It operates several factories in Canada and Mexico, including one factory south of the border that builds the brand-new Jeep Wagoneer S EV.
[Images: Jeep]
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