MILAN (AP) — Stellantis, the maker of Jeep, Fiat and Ram vehicles, named a new chief executive officer Wednesday as the world’s fourth-largest car manufacturer navigates the impact of U.S. tariffs, burgeoning competition from China and the transition to electric vehicles.
Antonio Filosa, who is currently Stellantis’ chief operating officer for the Americas and chief quality officer, takes the post effective June 23, when he is expected to announce his leadership team. He turns 52 next month.
He replaces Carlos Tavares, who resigned under pressure last year.
The move returns the running of Stellantis, created from the 2021 merger of France’s PSA Peugeot with Italian-U.S. carmaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, to Italian hands after three years under Tavares, who previously served as Peugeot’s top executive. John Elkann, heir to the Fiat-founding Agnelli family and the main shareholder in Stellantis through the Exor family holding company, remains chairman.
Elkann praised Filosa’s “deep understanding of our company, including its people, who he views as our core strength, and of our industry.”
Robert Peugeot, who represents the second-largest shareholding family, said the board’s choice was unanimous, calling Filosa a “natural choice” due to his leadership track record and knowledge of the business and “the complex dynamics facing our industry.”
Filosa joined Fiat in 1999, spending much of his career in Latin America, where he held positions from plant manager to head of purchasing and later chief operating officer. He was credited with making the Fiat brand the regional market leader and boosting the market share of the Peugeot, Citroen, Ram and Jeep brands. He also was CEO of the company’s top-selling Jeep brand.
Filosa was promoted to chief operating officer of the Americas in 2024 in an executive shakeup as sales slumped in North America, its main source of profits.
In a note to employees, Filosa recalled his first job at Fiat as a paint shop quality supervisor at a plant in Spain, saying “this company is in my blood.” He said he would travel to plants and offices around the world in the coming weeks.
Italy’s industry minister, Adolfo Urso, welcomed the appointment as “an excellent choice,” while Italian unions said they hoped that Italy would be put at the center of the automaker’s strategy, citing frequent production stops at Italian plants.
Stellantis has been lagging globally in the transition to electric powertrains and facing stiff Chinese competition. Analysts also have said Stellantis, with 14 brands, is yoked by too many under-performers, including Maserati and Chrysler.
