Former Ram Boss Back at Stellantis After Tavares’ Ouster
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Former Stellantis NV executive Tim Kuniskis will rejoin the automaker to run the Ram pickup brand as the company plots a turnaround following the ouster of CEO Carlos Tavares.
Kuniskis returns effective immediately, a Stellantis spokesperson said Dec. 9. He retired earlier this year after more than 30 years at the company, part of a series of high-level executive departures as the automaker struggled with falling sales and bloated inventories in the U.S. He had previously led the Ram and Dodge brands.
Stellantis Chairman John Elkann is accelerating a push to turn the company around in the U.S. — the group’s biggest single profit center — after Tavares resigned earlier this month. Former Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer also is back as an adviser to Elkann and to help steer a new executive committee that will run the carmaker as it seeks a new CEO.
Antonio Filosa, who leads the Americas and is seen among early front-runners for the top post, says he reached out to Kuniskis shortly after Tavares resigned. Filosa, who is also the global CEO of Jeep, says it took him about 10 seconds to persuade Kuniskis to return.
2025 Ram 1500 RHO. (Stellantis)
Having Kuniskis back at the company “gives the sense that things are getting back on track,” Filosa said in an interview. “He’s unbelievably talented on brands overall, and Ram needs a lot of care.”
Stellantis is working to reverse a sales slump at the Ram brand, one of the company’s main sources of profit in the U.S. Ram sales declined 24% though the first nine months of the year.
Prior to his retirement, Kuniskis was one of few remaining American senior executives dating back to the era of Sergio Marchionne, the former Fiat Chrysler boss. The company veteran, whom Car and Driver magazine dubbed the “Godfather of the Hellcat,” is best known for championing V-8 engines in Dodge’s muscle cars. But he also oversaw the slow and occasionally awkward transition of the Dodge and Ram brands to electric vehicles.
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Tavares was forced to resign Dec. 1 after disagreements with Elkann and other directors over how to turn around the group following a profit warning issued on Sept. 30.
In September, leaders of the company’s U.S. dealer network accused Tavares of damaging brands including Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Chrysler.
Other top management changes are afoot, Filosa said during the interview. Jeff Kommor, who was overseeing fleet sales, will return to his former post as head of U.S. sales. Chris Feuell, who led Ram in Kuniskis’ absence, will take over Alfa Romeo, replacing Larry Dominique, who asked to leave, Filosa said. Feuell will continue to be CEO of the Chrysler brand.
