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US car dealers hope new CEO will reverse slumping North

American

sales

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Filosa is well-received by many dealers

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Filosa expected to talk with national dealer council

Wednesday

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Former CEO had fractured relationship with many US dealers

By Nora Eckert and Kalea Hall

DETROIT, May 28 (Reuters) - U.S. dealers of Jeep SUVs

and Ram pickup trucks are pinning their hopes on new Stellantis

CEO Antonio Filosa to turn around months of

disappointing sales and weakening trust.

The 51-year-old Italian national, named on Wednesday to run

the global automaker, has already had plenty of facetime with

U.S. dealers as chief operating officer of the Americas since

December, when Carlos Tavares abruptly quit as CEO.

Sliding U.S. market share factored into Stellantis' ( STLA ) search

for a new leader.

"He knows what he's doing. He has a manufacturing and

quality background, which is important to us," said former

Stellantis National Dealer Council Chairman Kevin Farrish of

Filosa.

Farrish was the top signature on a letter in September

admonishing Tavares for a pricing strategy that retailers

complained led to a steep sales decline.

Tavares had pushed for cost cuts that alienated many car

sellers, suppliers and unions. The company faced lawsuits from

shareholders and unfair labor practice charges from the United

Auto Workers union.

Stellantis has since been working to repair these

connections and lift the company's stock price and North

American sales. It brought back longtime executives such as Ram

Chief Tim Kuniskis to lead its brands. Filosa has been meeting

with dealers around the country and is expected to speak with

the Stellantis dealer council on Wednesday.

The turnaround after Tavares' departure has been slow.

First-quarter net revenues fell 14% year-over-year globally, and

were down 25% in North America. Shipments in the region also

faltered.

Filosa is tasked with reversing this slump while facing

billions in added costs from tariffs on imported cars that U.S.

President Donald Trump implemented in April. Stellantis and some

other automakers have suspended their annual guidance, citing

uncertainty around the levies.

The company in 2024 imported over 40% of the 1.2 million

vehicles it sold in the United States, mostly from Mexico and

Canada.

Mark Trudell, general manager of Extreme Dodge Chrysler Jeep

dealership in Jackson, Michigan, called Filosa's appointment the

"right decision" at this time.

"Everything I hear from the inside is that he knows the

North America market better than his predecessor," Trudell said.

Stellantis executives need to prioritize where to go with the

electric-vehicle market and how to handle tariffs, he added.

Thad Szott, dealer partner at Szott Auto Group, said Filosa

came to his dealership in White Lake, Michigan, more than a year

ago and talked to him for about an hour.

"He has had a lot of experience, listens to U.S. dealer

feedback, and I'm optimistic we will start taking U.S. market

share back," Szott said.