Can Gearhead Kuniskis and the Return of SRT Bring Much-Needed Cred, Fix What Ails Stellantis?

Motor Trend

3 days ago

New Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa has tapped his most passionate brand boss to become the lead product executive in North America in the hopes it will quicken the revitalization of the product portfolio and restore the vitality of the automaker in the key region. To jumpstart it: the automaker is reviving the SRT Performance Division that created some of the most iconic models of the past.
Tim Kuniskis, known for his passion for cars, has been promoted to lead Stellantis in North America, focusing on revitalizing the product lineup. CEO Antonio Filosa aims to regain U.S. market trust. Kuniskis's expertise is expected to strengthen consumer focus and ease Filosa's workload.
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Tim Kuniskis, the current CEO of the Ram brand, has been appointed head of American brands and North America marketing and retail strategy. It is a new position, reporting to Filosa. Kuniskis will continue to run Ram, and will add the resurrected Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division to his duties to provide high-performance engineering across all the brands. "We're getting the band back together," Kuniskis said.
Filosa took over as Stellantis CEO on June 23 and announced a 13-member leadership team with little change. The former North America chief operating officer said he would continue to oversee the region and the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram brands. But that put a lot on the new global CEO's plate. The promotion of Kuniskis will help ease his burden.
The Story of Tim Kuniskis
Kuniskis has a reputation as a car geek, especially attuned to muscle cars and powerful trucks. The native of Rochester, New York, has shown an ability to understand what customers want from each brand and fight to get those models into production. The job seems tailored to his strengths as a product cheerleader. He will work across the brands to connect with dealers and customers. "Connecting with our customers, delivering the products and experiences they want, is critical to reaching our full potential," said Filosa. "Tim has proven time and time again that he is masterful at building brands that reach the heart and soul of the customer. We will leverage his energy, his strategic mindset and his competitive spirit to supercharge all our brand activities."
Kuniskis joined the company in 1992 as a trainee, spent his early years in sales, service, and parts, and working with dealers before getting into marketing, fleet operations, and then brand management. Kuniskis has, over the course of his career, been assigned to all the brands offered in North America. Dodge was a natural fit for the amped up executive and likely closest to his heart. His stint with Alfa Romeo and Maserati seemed the most ill-fitting suit. Ram and Jeep, given their importance and volume, were among the more demanding divisions to run.
Kuniskis retired from Stellantis on June 1, 2024, only to return six months later after the resignation of Tavares to take over Ram once again. Among his first moves: bringing back the Hemi V-8 engine as an option in the 2026 Ram 1500 and announcing plans to enter the NASCAR Truck Series in 2026.
We had a sense Kuniskis was lured back to do more than just resume his old Ram brand job. In January, when Stellantis was looking for a new CEO, MotorTrend asked Kuniskis if he was interested in the top job. 'No. No. Not a snowball's chance in hell,' he said. 'No way. First, not smart enough. Second, zero interest. I love product, not politics. Life is so much easier when you understand who you are and what you like and what your limitations are. I started out as a dealership mechanic. I went from a mechanic to the sales department to working as a sales rep for this company and now I have this job. I have gone way beyond my IQ. I like this job. I screwed up leaving last time. I just needed a vacation. I didn't need to retire.'
So, while Kuniskis is not taking the top job, it appears this particular position piqued his interest.
Filosa's Focus on North America
Given the importance of the U.S., Filosa will continue to be based in Auburn Hills. His predecessor Carlos Tavares made Europe his home base and by the end of his tenure, there was a strong sense he did not prioritize or have much respect for North American operations. The last CEO with a U.S. address was Sergio Marchionne, who died in 2018.
While most applauded the move to name Filosa as the new CEO, Wall Street was not impressed that most top executives stayed in their current roles. One of the few executives leaving the company was chief planning officer Beatrice Foucher. In the U.S., the brand chiefs kept their current roles.
Dealers are happy with Filosa at the helm and his promises to give them the attention they seek to restore sales and profitability. That includes a robust product portfolio, an area that will now fall to Kuniskis to help orchestrate.
Strong Team With Lots of History
Kuniskis will work with a team of brand managers with experience that dates back to former Chrysler regimes. Bob Broderdorf has led every brand over his decades-long career and is now head of Jeep. Matt McAlear, who was Kuniskis's sidekick at Dodge for years, now leads the muscle-car brand. Chris Feuell has been mostly associated with the Chrysler brand but handled Ram briefly and added Alfa Romeo to her duties.
Ned Curic continues as head of product development and technology. Other long-timers: Ralph Gilles remains head of design and Olivier Francois is still head of marketing.
Stellantis lost market share in the U.S. in 2024 with a product lineup with key gaps, and pricing considered too high to be competitive. Consumers, dealers, suppliers, and employees were unhappy in the final stages of the Tavares regime. Filosa is working to regain trust with all these stakeholders. He will rely on Kuniskis to help get it right.