Tim Kuniskis, the CEO of the Ram and Dodge brands, is retiring after working for Stellantis for almost 32 years. But there are other big changes happening at the brands, especially at Dodge. An analyst says, “It wouldn’t be wise to presume no one else can champion the brand.”
Stellantis, the company that owns Ram and Dodge, is having trouble selling cars in the United States as it starts making electric cars instead of gasoline ones. From January to April, its sales went down by 14.1%, while the car industry as a whole went up by 3.1%.
For many years, Kuniskis was known for his work with high-performance American cars. He introduced many powerful models, like the 1,025 horsepower Challenger SRT Demon 170. But in March, Kuniskis showed off two battery-powered versions of the Charger muscle car. He also kept one gas-powered version of the Charger without a big Hemi V8.
Kuniskis was the CEO of both the Dodge and Ram brands. Chris Feuell will replace him at Ram, and Matt McAlear will take over at Dodge.
Dodge is facing challenges as it moves from making gas-powered cars to electric ones. Dodge sales went down by more than 17% from January to April. Ram sales also went down by over 29% this year because a factory in Michigan is being changed to make a new full-size pickup truck.
Kuniskis had a lot of passion for the Dodge brand, but Stephanie Brinley, an analyst, says someone else at Stellantis can take over. She said, “Dodge muscle car future is going through change, regardless of who is at the helm.”
At a March event, Kuniskis showed off new electric Chargers and a gas-fueled Charger with a new 3-liter six-cylinder engine. He said people need choices and that electric cars will still have good performance.
Stellantis’ first quarter global vehicle shipments went down by 10% compared to last year, and its revenue went down by 12%. The company said this is because they are launching 25 new models this year, including 18 electric vehicles. They hope these new models will make them more money in the future.
