MILAN, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Automaker Stellantis

said on Wednesday it would return to revenue growth

and positive cash generation in 2025 as it scrambles to recover

from a crisis which engulfed its U.S. business late last year

and knocked its share price.

"We are firmly focused on gaining market share and improving

financial performance as 2025 progresses," Chairman John Elkann,

who has led the company since CEO Carlos Tavares quit in

December, said in a statement.

While pointing to an improvement this year, the results

may not completely reassure investors that the worst is over for

Stellantis ( STLA ), as Europe's automakers have to battle high costs,

sluggish demand and stiff competition from China.

The Franco-Italian-US automaker predicted no major

improvement in its profitability on Wednesday, as it guided for

a 'mid-single digit' margin on its adjusted operating profit for

2025.

That was broadly in line with a 5.5% margin it achieved

in 2024, down from 12.8% in 2023 and at the bottom of the

forecast range it provided in September after a shock profit

warning, which later led to the ousting of Tavares.

Total revenues fell 17% last year, to 157 billion euros

($165 billion), with a 12% drop in global shipments, due to

"temporary gaps" in the product range and "now-complete

inventory reduction initiatives", the company said.

In the second half of 2024, Stellantis ( STLA ) said its adjusted

earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were almost erased, to

185 million euros, from 10.2 billion euros in the same period of

2023.

The automaker proposed to pay investors a 0.68 euro per

share dividend on 2024 results.

($1 = 0.9527 euros)