Stellantis Gears Up for 2025 Comeback

Stellantis (FCA US, LLC) is gearing up for a significant turnaround in 2025 after facing a challenging 2024. The company’s renewed focus on regional marketing and exciting new product offerings aims to recapture market share and rebuild trust with both dealers and customers.

Jeff Kommor, the recently reappointed Senior Vice President of Retail and Commercial Sales in the U.S. for Stellantis, boldly declared at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention that 2025 will mark “the most epic comeback in automotive history.”

“Keep an eye on us all year long,” Kommor told Automotive News. “You’re going to see incremental improvements, you’re going to see momentum, you’re going to see sales gains. The dealers got our back, we got their back, and I feel like we’re starting to gain their trust and optimism back. 2024 was just not where any of us needed to be.” This optimism follows a tumultuous year that saw Stellantis’ U.S. sales decline by 15%.

A key strategy in Stellantis’ comeback plan is an increased focus on regional Tier 2 marketing. Michael Bettenhausen, Stellantis National Dealer Council Chairman, explained the importance of this approach: “Tier 2 gives you that ability to tie into the local and regional markets to really get the incentive right and then get your share of voice improved.”

For clarity, automotive marketing operates in three tiers:

• Tier 1 focuses on national advertising campaigns, such as those seen on social media, television commercials, and other broad-reaching mediums.
• Tier 2, emphasized by Kommor, involves regional and metropolitan dealer group campaigns (e.g., Boston Area Dodge-Jeep-Ram Dealers).
• Tier 3 pertains to marketing efforts by individual dealerships.

By shifting more resources to Tier 2 marketing, Stellantis can provide targeted, regionalized advertising that resonates more with local markets. Bettenhausen noted that this approach allows dealers to showcase specific features, incentives, and unique product qualities that broader national campaigns often overlook.

This refined marketing strategy is complemented by a renewed focus on product development. Kommor explained: “We’re exploring powertrain opportunities, getting ourselves back into segments that we had exited, putting our product in competitive positions, and improving our quality.”

These efforts come at a critical time, as Stellantis continues to address declining market share. Between 2019 and 2023, the company’s U.S. market share dropped from 12.6% to just 9.6%. With these initiatives in place, Stellantis aims to reverse this trend and deliver significant growth and success in 2025.