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U.S. Senator-Elect Says Stellantis Should Divest American Brands

Moreno Calls for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, and Ram to Return to U.S. Ownership...

U.S. Senator-elect Bernie Moreno, an Ohio-based auto dealer and Republican ally of President-elect Donald Trump is making waves with his bold stance on the automotive industry. Moreno has publicly called for Stellantis to spin off its iconic American brands—Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, and Ram—arguing that they belong back in U.S. hands to be managed with the care and vision they deserve.

During a recent interview with Bloomberg, Moreno didn’t hold back in criticizing Stellantis, the global automaker formed in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and PSA Group. He accused Stellantis of prioritizing European interests over the success of its American brands, which have been household names for decades.

“They’ve been a terrible steward of the brands,” Moreno said while traveling through Ohio in his Jeep Grand Wagoneer, an SUV emblematic of Jeep’s legacy. “I’m hoping [Stellantis Chairman] John Elkann does the right thing and spins off Chrysler Corporation, putting it back under American ownership.”

The History Behind Stellantis – 

Chrysler Tech Center (CTC) in Auburn Hills, Michigan. (MoparInsiders).

Stellantis was born from the merger of two automotive giants: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France’s PSA Group. John Elkann, a descendant of the Agnelli family—founders of Fiat—has chaired Stellantis since its inception. While Stellantis touts its commitment to its American brands, Moreno and others argue that recent decisions, including layoffs and plant closures in the U.S., reflect misplaced priorities.

Carlos Tavares, Stellantis’ now-former CEO, faced criticism for his handling of the company’s U.S. operations. Under his leadership, the automaker focused on cutting costs, leading to thousands of job losses. Tavares’ departure earlier this month comes amid mounting tension between Stellantis and its American workforce and dealers.

Moreno’s Vision for U.S. Automotive Policy – 

U.S. Senator-elect Bernie Moreno and Vice President-elect JD Vance. (Bernie Moreno).

Moreno’s automotive roots run deep. Having built a successful luxury car dealership empire in Ohio, he understands the industry from the ground up. His vision for the future includes strengthening the presence of American automakers by rolling back electric vehicle (EV) tax credits, adjusting fuel economy standards, and incentivizing domestic manufacturing.

He believes the first step toward revitalizing the American auto industry is freeing Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, and Ram from Stellantis’ control. Moreno criticized Stellantis for cutting U.S. jobs while maximizing profits in other markets. “This guy [Tavares] fired all the Americans,” Moreno said, blaming Stellantis’ European leadership for exploiting its U.S. brands without investing in their long-term success.

The Bigger Picture – 

Stellantis sign in front of Auburn Hills Headquarters. (MoparInsiders).

Moreno’s call for action aligns with a broader push for America-first economic policies. He wants to see these legendary brands flourish under domestic leadership: Jeep, known for its rugged off-road vehicles; Ram, a leader in the pickup truck market; Dodge, famous for its muscle cars; and Chrysler, a historic innovator.

“I know what they eventually plan to do, and it will never happen as long as I’m US Senator and Trump is in the White House,” Moreno said. A spokesman later clarified that he hasn’t discussed the idea of unwinding elements of the Stellantis merger directly with Trump.

“We are proud to employ many thousands of people and support our communities across Michigan, Indiana and Ohio,” Stellantis said in its statement. “2025 will be an exciting year, with many projects which will benefit from the group’s cutting-edge technology and scale.”

Source: Bloomberg

 

Robert S. Miller

Robert S. Miller is a diehard Mopar enthusiast who lives and breathes all that is Mopar. The Michigander is not only the Editor for MoparInsiders.com, 5thGenRams.com, and HDRams.com but an automotive photographer. He is an avid fan of offshore powerboat racing, which he travels the country to take part in.

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Junior-Senator "..

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YEAH.... that was awesome last time. Stand alone CDJR goes belly up in less that 5 years, owned by private equity it goes belly up in 2.5 year. You need global supply chain, resources, and balancing of market fluctuations.

Some of the Xenophobia is earned given what the french and germans managed but American management over the years hasn't been stellar either.

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And D.C has trouble meeting deadlines to pay U.S. Military Service....often Kids 1st solid job,and because of that often don't have 2-3 months of pay locked away in Savings....
Not only those this fellow who's inside a place base on "Seniority" , but Elon Musk and John Elkann are very good friends( see who Elon is with these Days🤫).

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I doubt Stellantis will cede their North American operations to any entity, but I do believe the current corporate structure needs change. The Senator offers valid points, but as stated here, the global network is critical to survival in today’s auto business.
I’d offer the thought and anticipation that a much more autonomous North American operation will emerge headed up by an experienced “All-American” car guy. Call it what you like, Americans are different than Europeans. Just a fact Jack!
Close scrutiny will reveal many positives currently and under development in the Stellantis Universe that will underpin much of what is modified or created independently for North America. For example, it is not likely Fiat will put a Hemi in any of its future products but Dodge I’d bet is going full forward on that decision in short order, perhaps with European aghast. In obvious desperation Dodge has decided to send the Charger Daytona to Europe where, though the electric market is now shrinking, Europeans, speculation seems to suggest, might be more receptive to the unique qualities of an exciting electric performance car. That Dodge may sell as well in Europe as the Fiat 500e has done in the states, but desperate times produce desperate actions. I’d give it a shot.
Fundamental to this thought is the absolute fact that iron fisted control of “Euro-think” executives has put the whole Stellantis organization at risk and that grip needs to be made loose if this thing can work. Change, “American Style”, is a coming, Jack!

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The decision to spin off the trucks into their own brand sealed Dodge's fate, which still annoys me. The only marketable things that this company still has are the trucks and Jeeps, and will likely be divested at some point. Muscle cars will not translate into the post ICE era, and trying to do that is just foolish. Sports cars yes, and why would I want all the limitations of a muscle car design with no muscle. I'll just take a modern sports car without all the limitations or a vehicle that is actually useful for daily use. I enjoyed my nostalgic cars while they lasted, but it is over now. Politicians, bureaucrats, and do-gooder activists killed them before their time, which sucks. The forced adoption of new technology, while intentionally killing off iconic parts of our past was just stupid. We could have had both.

Long story short, there are way better options out there than Stallantis for just about everything. I have a 2018 3500 and it will be my last; I dislike V8 diesels, but I dislike Stallantis more so their long long long overdue HD truck update next year is not on my list. I have a 2014JK Rubicon and a 2018JL Rubicon and they will be my last; I can wheel those for the rest of my life without buying anything new from Stallantis. I'm searching for the exact pre-Stallantis Challenger I want, and that will be my last. Going forward, I will be looking for the best quality vehicle in a new era. That definitely isn't Stallantis. All I read about from them is their focus on profits. Well, they need to realize they pissed off their core customers with ridiculous prices, lack of investment and model updates, poor build quality, and killing off models to the point there was nothing left. There is nobody rushing to their showrooms to buy their vehicles because they have nothing we want. When I buy an EV or any other vehicle, it certainly won't be one from them, and I won't buy their stuff because I was a Mopar fan from a different era.

I don't think Chrysler corp is going to survive because there is just better products and reputation of those products from other manufacturers. Jeep will always have market share and be owned by somebody; I hope that Jeep gets bought by a decent compnay and doesn't end up as a Chineese company. I also hope the 6.7 medium duty Cummins finds it way into one of the other trucks. Other than that, there really isn't anything else that I want since the revived Challenger muscle car is dead. Iconic name plates put on junk has no interest to me; I'm not someone who falls for brand marketing. It's sad to see an iconic company be so poorly mismanaged, but we've been saying that since the 70s. This is probably the final nail in the coffin...I would rather see it close it's doors and diviest what is still viable than be run into the ground by a multinational company who doesn't care about the history we all share. Who cares about a name plate if everythign that went into that name plate is dead anyway?

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