‘We’re Getting Our Ass Kicked’

Ram is down by a whopping 24% in the United States through September. Things are so bad that the US Stellantis National Dealer Council sent an open letter to former CEO Carlos Tavares in September, blaming him for the “disaster” and the “rapid degradation” of the American brands. But Tavares is now gone, and Tim Kuniskis is back at Stellantis to lead Ram once again following a short six-month break.

In an interview with Automotive News, Ram’s returning CEO made it abundantly clear sales results are poor: “Let’s be perfectly honest: We are getting our ass kicked.” What went wrong? Well, Kuniskis believes the slow rollout of the new 1500 was a contributing factor; adding some trim levels like the RHO and Tungsten are still hard to come by months after launch. As a matter of fact, he’s still waiting to take delivery of his 1500 RHO off-road truck.

But not everything is doom and gloom. Kuniskis mentioned that the pricier trim levels are now more available: “It’s getting better, and it’s going to change.” Even so, Ram has a busy schedule since it must fulfill “thousands of orders” from customers patiently waiting to drive their new pickups. Quality was a concern for Tavares, who criticized the Sterling Heights plant in Michigan for making 1500s that needed repairs right off the production line.

Mere days before resigning, Tavares pointed out another issue. Because Stellantis has a lot on its place by rolling out new models in a short timeframe, it’s shuffling things around to ensure smooth product launches. The fully electric Ram 1500 REV, which premiered in February 2023, is being pushed back to 2025. Similarly, deliveries of the Ramcharger with its range-extending V-6 won’t start until next year. Both were supposed to hit the market by the end of 2024.

Despite these struggles, Kuniskis is confident Ram can reverse the course and improve sales. The returning CEO is hungry for success: “I was bored, and I missed the fight.”

Before stepping down, former Ram boss Christine Feuell reiterated plans for a new midsize truck “brought to market” on a platform that will “surprise” us, she told Motor Trend. Details about the new pickup are unknown, although the recent statement hints it won’t be related to the Rampage sold outside the US. A year ago, the UAW said Stellantis would reopen the Belvidere Illinois factory to build a new midsize truck. However, we contacted Ram at the time, and they refused to confirm.