A string of bad news headlines indicate STELLANTIS is in trouble, but if it goes down, it will take some of our favourite brands with it!
Have you ever watched a slow-motion crash? That agonising moment where you can see exactly what’s about to happen, but there’s no stopping it? That’s Stellantis right now—an automotive behemoth with a brand portfolio so vast it should be unstoppable. Instead, it’s lurching towards disaster, dragging some of the most beloved car marques with it. Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Dodge, Chrysler, Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Opel, and Vauxhall—this should be an empire, but instead, it feels like a sinking ship, a giant cargo vessel colliding head-on with an iceberg. And the worst part? They seem utterly clueless about how to stop it.
So, how did we get here? How does one of the biggest car conglomerates in the world end up haemorrhaging brands, sales, and customer trust? And more importantly—can it be saved?
Jeep’s Australian Meltdown & The In-Car Ad Fiasco
Let’s start with Jeep, once the go-anywhere, do-anything off-road legend. Surely it should be thriving, right? Not in Australia, where Stellantis just announced that the Jeep Grand Cherokee is being pulled from the market. Citing poor sales and lack of demand, Stellantis has effectively killed Jeep’s future down under. But how?
Australia is off-roader heaven! The Toyota Land Cruiser and Ford Ranger dominate there. Jeep, with its Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, should have been a natural contender. Instead, Stellantis fumbled the ball, refusing to offer the diesel V6 that Aussie buyers wanted. Classic case of ignoring what the market actually demands.
And if that wasn’t enough, Jeep owners in the US are furious over a new “feature” in their infotainment systems: pop-up adverts! Yes, if you buy a brand-new Jeep, Stellantis has now decided that you should see in-car ads telling you to buy an extended warranty—while you’re driving. Imagine that. You spend your hard-earned cash on a premium SUV, fill it up with expensive fuel, and then get charged mentally every time you stop at a traffic light, forced to dismiss yet another pop-up ad. It’s like ordering a fine steak dinner and having a McDonald’s advert projected onto your plate with every bite.
Maserati’s MC20 Electric? Scrapped.
Stellantis has been pushing electrification hard, but it’s already backtracking. Case in point: Maserati just cancelled the MC20 Folgore, its planned all-electric supercar. Turns out rich petrolheads don’t want their supercars to sound like oversized hairdryers. Who knew?
Even Ferrari figured this out—hybridise, don’t go full electric. McLaren did the same. Meanwhile, Maserati seemed determined to launch a silent hypercar, only to realise nobody asked for it.
And let’s be honest, Maserati as a brand should be exciting, exotic, rebellious. Instead, it’s been neutered into something that blends in rather than stands out. Where’s the passion, the charisma, the edge? Maserati should be making cars that turn heads—not ones that get shrugged off like day-old toast.
Vauxhall’s UK Factory Shut Down – More Chaos
Closer to home, Stellantis just shut down the Vauxhall van plant in Luton. This was once an industrial cornerstone, but now it’s a casualty of Stellantis’ short-sighted cost-cutting.
They claim it’s about “efficiency” and “shifting production focus.” Reality check? It’s just more proof that Stellantis has no long-term vision for its brands. Vauxhall, once a trusted name in Britain, is now floundering, a shadow of what it once was. Did Stellantis ever really understand what to do with it?
Alfa Romeo’s Quadrifoglio Models Are DEAD!
If you want a masterclass in mismanagement, look no further than Alfa Romeo. The brand that should be Ferrari’s sporty little brother is instead being run into the ground.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio are being killed off. That’s right—the only proper M3 rival Alfa Romeo had, a car that was genuinely exciting, is being scrapped. Meanwhile, BMW keeps selling M3s like hotcakes, and even Mercedes is backpedalling on its electric-only C63, reportedly bringing back the V8 after backlash. And yet, Stellantis’ response is to kill its most exciting models. Makes total sense.
This should have been Alfa’s chance to refine, improve reliability, market properly, price it aggressively, and steal M3 buyers left and right. Instead, Stellantis has given up the fight completely.
Trade War Tariffs: Stellantis Is Trapped
On top of everything else, Stellantis is getting battered by global trade wars. Here’s why:
- U.S. Tariffs on Chinese EVs: Stellantis had a deal with Leapmotor, a Chinese EV brand, to bring cheap electric cars into Western markets. But with 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs, that strategy is dead in the water.
- U.S.-Mexico Tariffs (On & Off): Trump-era trade wars have meant 25% tariffs on Mexican-built cars could return in April. Stellantis relies on Mexico for around 40% of its U.S. sales—think Jeep Compass, Grand Cherokee, Dodge Journey, and Ram 1500 Classic. If tariffs hit, Stellantis either absorbs the cost (huge profit loss) or passes it to customers (sales plummet).
- Canada Trade War: Stellantis has key production facilities in Ontario, making Chrysler Pacificas and Dodge Chargers. Tariffs here mean increased production costs or expensive factory relocations—neither of which the company can afford right now.
Too Many Brands, No Focus
Stellantis owns too many brands and has no idea what to do with them. Instead of leveraging their uniqueness, it’s morphed them into an indistinguishable mess:
- Peugeot & Citroën: Used to be distinct. Now? Just rebadged versions of each other.
- Maserati: Should be rebellious and sexy. Now? Corporate and bland.
- Jeep: The off-road king. Now? Watered-down SUVs and in-car ads.
- Dodge: The last great muscle car brand. Now? Forced electric Charger nobody wants.
- Alfa Romeo: Used to be the heart of Italian performance. Now? Dying a slow death.
Stellantis should have dominated every niche—muscle cars, luxury, off-roaders, hot hatches. Instead, it’s turned into a corporate samey-wamey disaster.
Final Thought: Can Stellantis Survive?
Real talk—unless Stellantis changes course drastically, I don’t see a happy ending. They’re either going to sell off brands (China would love to buy Alfa or Jeep), kill off deadweight brands like Vauxhall and Chrysler, or somehow figure out how to manage this mess properly.
Right now, though? This ship is sinking. The only question is—which brands will survive, and which ones will go down with it?
What do you think? Can Stellantis turn things around, or is this the beginning of the end? Let me know in the comments!
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