Stellantis Merger Now Playing at a Dealer Near You
Stellantis, the merger between Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, became effective on Saturday, January 16th. The world’s fourth-largest carmaker has emerged, a surprise to no one.
For those of you who were wondering, Stellantis’ common shares began trading on Euronext in Paris and Mercato Telematico Azionario in Milan on Monday, while we were observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day. If you have a few bucks to spare, trading on the New York Stock Exchange begins today, and the ticker symbol is STLA.
The courtship of Groupe PSA by FCA has been covered previously, with the announcement of who at Peugeot will run the show. To most Americans, the five Groupe PSA brands are vaguely unfamiliar. Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel, and Vauxhall. The FCA brands, Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Ram, and Maserati, are storied, some even iconic. This of course begs the question, why are the French running the show?
In a dance reminiscent of the marriage between Nissan and Renault, will this union produce similar results? Will there be diminishing returns more widely dispersed, or is this going to be the global juggernaut that achieves dominance in every market in which it has an entry? Only time will tell if the $38 billion deal fizzles out like the remake of The Gong Show, or it endures as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe have.
[Images: Stellantis, Groupe PSA]
With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.
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Here's what will happen: 1) Fiat will get the axe in the US, and likely a new Punto in Europe. It will soldier on with PSA platforms much like Opel/Vauxhall are doing these days. 2) Jeep will stay where it is; Dodge might get some crossovers to show for, mostly as cheap versions of whatever Jeep gets. 3) Peugeot won't come to America, neither Citroën or DS. 4) Americans will keep believing Chrysler is still a thing. It isn't.
I've been taking Stellantis for my high blood pressure for years.