That was a short retirement!
Former Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis has been named the new CEO of Ram, Stellantis confirmed on Monday.
Kuniskis retired from the automaker this may after 32 years in various roles including heading up Ram, but has been lured back into the executive suite in the aftermath of Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares stepping down last week, which has caused a cascading effect across the company.
Kuniskis will take over for Chris Feuell, who will continue as CEO of Chrysler and also oversee Alfa Romeo in North America.
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“Today’s changes will enable us to operate in a structure that will drive the best outcomes for the region, unlock significant potential and win in the market. A main lever is for the Ram brand to have its CEO singularly focused on that brand,” a Stellantis spokewoman told American Cars And Racing.
Ram’s U.S. sales were down 24%t through the first three quarters of this year, tying it with Dodge as the worst-performing Stellantis brand.
Kuniskis is best-known for revitalizing the Dodge brand with the introduction of the Challenger SRT Hellcat in 2015, which had a 707 hp supercharged V8 that made it the most-powerful muscle car to date.
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It was followed by a Charger SRT Hellcat and various versions of both that culminated in the Challenger SRT Demon 170, which had a 900 hp engine and was the last V8-powered car Dodge built.
The Challenger and Charger are about to be replaced by the electric Charger Daytona and inline-six-cylinder Charger over the course of the coming year. Both were developed to help Stellantis meet increasingly stringent emissions rules that may be eased under the incoming Trump administration.
Ram has also eliminated V8s from its light duty trucks, which are now only available with six-cylinder engines, but are scheduled to get all-electric and series-hybrid powertrains next year.