Commentary: Kuniskis To the Rescue

The process of writing a column on this website can be challenging. 

With so much on the line economically and in politics, it is hard to say what’s on my mind. With social media fueling the flames of trolling and snap opinions based on divisive ideals, to write anything pertaining to this industry could ignite a virtual civil war. 

Even mentioning negative feedback and reports of vehicle quality and massive recalls can also fuel this fire of the “jury of our peers” and the “citizen journalist.”

Certainly, I can say something about those who think they’re better than us who work in this field. However, I’d rather have your readership than spurn it away. 

Therefore, I will focus on some recent good news and some hope for the long term future of a certain automotive manufacturer.

First off, no one should count Stellantis out. 

If you look at the history of the North American operations of this company, you will find a century of resilience through the ebb and flow of events. Just when you count them out, they find a way to crawl back to better days. 

Right now, Stellantis is going through some tough days. Sales are down, the Dodge Charger EV is a flop, Chrysler and Alfa Romeo are waiting for new product, rumors of selling Maserati, a former CEO that almost screwed over everyone outside of France, and much more drama than I could even think of. 

The good news? You may have heard or met a gentleman named Tim Kuniskis. He has been with the company since 1992. His rise through the ranks gave him some key positions along the way. When we presented #VOTY14 to the Dodge Challenger, he accepted it as head of the performance brand. 

Last year, Kuniskis made a shift in leadership. He was Dodge’s brand chief, along with running the Ram brand. Then, he left for about seven months -no explanation given. When Kuniskis returned, he became the Chief Brand Officer for Ram, focusing on elevating the North American truck and commercial vehicle brand. So far, Kuniskis announced the return of the brand to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, as well as the return of the HEMI V8 to the 1500 pickup truck.

Recently, Kuniskis was appointed as the head of all Stellantis North American-based brands. His role will oversee the marketing and retail strategies for not only Ram and Dodge, but of Chrysler, Jeep, and Fiat. He will also be the ultimate decision maker for these five core brands for the USA and Canada – at least. 

One such decision was somewhat expected. Kuniskis announced the return of the Street and Racing Technology brand. Needless to say, there is much rejoicing among the Moparians. 

This is perhaps a way to right this part of the Stellantis corporate ship. The installment of Anthonio Filosa as the new corporate CEO was seen as one important part of this refocusing of this global entity. As much as the former CEO Calos Tavares wanted to make Stellantis a company dominated by Peugeot’s engineering based on electrification, the entire global organization must realize that there are many assets and moving parts they need to work with. 

The old Chrysler Corporation is one of those moving parts. A massive one, at that. 

It will take more than returning to NASCAR, dropping HEMIs into pickup truck engine bays, and resuscitating your high-performance brand to reverse the fortunes of Stellantis in North America. Kuniskis has a larger task at hand in order to deliver on the expectations of consumers – including the Mopar faithful. 

For one, Kuniskis must help define what kind of “experiment” the Chrysler brand will become. Will mid-priced-to-luxury consumers willing to buy a new sedan that looks like the Halcyon Concept? Or, will we see a more realistic car that offers a lot of the technological advances that concept showcased? Let’s not forget about the next-generation minivan and that long-promised crossover on the same platform. 

Dodge is an easy fix. Simply put, drop internal combustion engines into the Charger! Between the Hurricane and HEMI, you have a lineup of performance options on the table that will bring the Moparians back into the showroom. The other thing is to resolve the rest of the lineup with performance-oriented family transport that is built better than the Alfa Romeo-sourced Hornet. A Chinese model, such as the one imported by Stellantis for the Mexican market, is not going to cut it for North America. 

Jeep has several new products forthcoming. The all-new Compass and Cherokee, along with a revised Grand Cherokee, will help the iconic brand’s cause in this market. Couild we also see the electric – or hybrid – Recon to join the Wrangler? Could we also see the European-market Avenger here, too? 

These might be questions better answered by a long-time contact of ours, Wendy Orthman. She was just named Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Jeep after stints with Infiniti, and Genesis. She was one of our first contacts at Chrysler/FCA. 

As for Ram, maybe it’s time for a line of smaller pickup trucks. Adding a passenger version of the Ram ProMaster is fine, but it’s s smaller market. At least, that’s what the rumor mill is circulating. 

What about Fiat’s presence in the USA and Canada? Good question. Will a new retail strategy add Fiat to more Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram stores. Could it result in reducing Alfa Romeo’s retail network by coupling with Maserati locations?

As for products, how much will Fiat look at their global lineup to either supplant or add to the 500e?

These are among the questions we hope Kuniskis is pondering. In a recent interview, Fiat brand CEO Olivier Francois proudly endorsed him on his new role. That’s a huge vote by one of the marketing geniuses at Stellantis. 

All I can say is that my eyes are again fixed on Auburn Hills. If there is one person I know who will bring the mojo back into the building, it is Tim Kuniskis. 

Cover photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles/Stellantis for Victory & Reseda. All other photos by Randy Stern and George Torline