Antonio Filosa Reportedly Frontrunner for Stellantis CEO Job

It looks like Stellantis may finally be nearing the end of its long and complex search for a new CEO. According to a Bloomberg report, sources close to the matter say Antonio Filosa—currently Stellantis’ Chief Operating Officer (COO) for North America—is emerging as the top candidate to replace former CEO Carlos Tavares.

Filosa has been with the company since its Fiat days, starting in 1999. The Naples, Italy native rose through the ranks and joined Fiat Chrysler’s top executive team in 2018. After the 2021 merger that created Stellantis, Filosa remained part of the core leadership. Most recently, he was promoted to oversee North American operations in October as part of a broader executive shuffle.

The Stellantis board, led by Chairman John Elkann, has yet to make a final call, and Bloomberg notes that the situation is still evolving. While Filosa is reportedly in the lead, other names have been tossed around, including former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) CEO Mike Manley—now running AutoNation—and José Muñoz, who became CEO of Hyundai Motor Co. earlier this year.

Inside Stellantis, pressure has been mounting. The company has been without a permanent CEO since December, when Tavares was abruptly removed. That leadership vacuum has reportedly slowed down major decision-making, which isn’t helping as the automaker faces serious challenges, especially in the U.S.

Sales in the U.S. dropped 15% last year and were down another 12% in the first quarter of 2025. To make matters worse, new tariffs have been introduced, making building and selling vehicles more expensive and throwing supply chains into chaos.

Back in February, Stellantis warned investors to expect weak profits this year. The company was aiming for just a mid-single-digit operating margin, way down from the double-digit returns they projected at the beginning of 2024. Last week, Stellantis pulled its 2025 guidance entirely, citing too much tariff-related uncertainty.

If Filosa does get the nod, his job won’t be easy. But he’s reportedly been hitting the ground running, visiting U.S. factories and meeting with dealers to rebuild relationships strained during the Tavares era. Filosa is also considered a protégé of the late Sergio Marchionne, the legendary leader who turned around FCA and helped set the stage for Stellantis’ creation.

For now, we wait. But if Bloomberg’s sources are right, a decision could come any day now.

Source: Bloomberg