PARIS - With Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot parent company PSA having recently amalgamated to form Stellantis, which will be the world’s fourth biggest car company, there have been concerns that some of its brands might fall by the wayside.
The newly formed company does have 14 vehicle brands after all, which is a lot to fit under one large umbrella. There were even rumours that some of the smaller brands such as Lancia and Chrysler could be discontinued because, in sales and product terms, they are mere shadows of their former selves.
Although the company plans to save around 5 billion euro (R90 billion) through synergies that include shared product development, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has insisted that all 14 brands would not only continue, but that they’d also be given the chance "to rebound" and invest in new products.
Although Stellantis has yet to reveal its exact plans for each brand, the carmaker did provide a broad outline of where each would be positioned. In the statement, which also announced the leaders for all 14 nameplates, the company classified them into six categories:
Core: Citroen, Fiat and Abarth
Upper Mainstream: Opel, Vauxhall and Peugeot
Premium: Alfa Romeo, DS and Lancia
Luxury: Maserati
Global SUV: Jeep
American brands: Chrysler, Dodge and Ram
Although Lancia had seemed like the most vulnerable, given that the once legendary Italian marque has been whittled down to a single compact hatchback offering (and an outdated one at that), there are two signs of hope in the new structure. Not only has it been classified as a premium brand, but Lancia also has its own CEO in the form of Luca Napolitano. Some brands, such as Chrysler/Dodge and Opel Vauxhall, will share CEOs.
The formation of Stellantis is also very much centred around the goal of meeting future demand for more environmentally friendly cars, and to that end the company said it plans to launch 10 new electrified models in 2021 alone.
Watch this space for more product details from the 14 brands as they become available.
IOL Motoring