Photo: Chrysler
GM tried to bring Opel and Vauxhall to profitability for almost two decades. It eventually sold both to Groupe PSA, which immediately brought the brands in the black. Holden also failed in the Land Down Under, but as opposed to its European siblings, Holden was phased out for good.
Chrysler, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo are stuck in a rut as well, but unlike General Motors’ way of dealing with problematic brands, Stellantis decided to give them a chance in the guise of a 10-year turnaround period. According to the group’s head honcho, Mr. Carlos Tavares, these companies will receive sufficient funding to develop core models as part of the turnaround.
Speaking at the Financial Times' Future of the Car Summit, Tavares made it crystal clear that Chrysler, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo have one shot of doing something different, something that will appeal to customers. Reading between the lines, the chief exec refers to lots of crossover utility vehicles, a big emphasis on BEVs, and semi-autonomous driving systems.
The problem is, Stellantis and Tavares didn’t mention exactly what kind of turnaround plans are in the pipeline for each of these companies. Looking at the bigger picture, all three of them suffer from very different problems.
Chrysler, for example, is a shadow of its ultra-luxury former self with a worrying record for reliability. The U.S. brand currently offers more people carriers than sedans, and the sole four-door sedan available to purchase at the moment of writing is the 300. Adding insult to injury, the Charger's more expensive brother isn’t offered with the 6.4-liter HEMI V8 or the Hellcat.
Lancia, meanwhile, is restricted to a single nameplate and the Italian peninsula. If the legendary automaker isn’t spruced up with a Europe-wide dealership network, a few crossovers, and a halo such as the almighty Delta Integrale hot hatchback, Lancia may not be here with us in a decade’s time.
Alfa Romeo is probably the easiest brand to fix. Instead of a brand-new GTV coupe and 8C supercar, the Stellantis group decided to roll out a couple of crossovers in the coming years. These are the Giulietta-replacing Tonale and a subcompact-sized crossover that's rumored to be baptized Brennero.
Speaking at the Financial Times' Future of the Car Summit, Tavares made it crystal clear that Chrysler, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo have one shot of doing something different, something that will appeal to customers. Reading between the lines, the chief exec refers to lots of crossover utility vehicles, a big emphasis on BEVs, and semi-autonomous driving systems.
The problem is, Stellantis and Tavares didn’t mention exactly what kind of turnaround plans are in the pipeline for each of these companies. Looking at the bigger picture, all three of them suffer from very different problems.
Chrysler, for example, is a shadow of its ultra-luxury former self with a worrying record for reliability. The U.S. brand currently offers more people carriers than sedans, and the sole four-door sedan available to purchase at the moment of writing is the 300. Adding insult to injury, the Charger's more expensive brother isn’t offered with the 6.4-liter HEMI V8 or the Hellcat.
Lancia, meanwhile, is restricted to a single nameplate and the Italian peninsula. If the legendary automaker isn’t spruced up with a Europe-wide dealership network, a few crossovers, and a halo such as the almighty Delta Integrale hot hatchback, Lancia may not be here with us in a decade’s time.
Alfa Romeo is probably the easiest brand to fix. Instead of a brand-new GTV coupe and 8C supercar, the Stellantis group decided to roll out a couple of crossovers in the coming years. These are the Giulietta-replacing Tonale and a subcompact-sized crossover that's rumored to be baptized Brennero.
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