The new chief executive of Stellantis Antonio Filosa “learned at the knee” of Sergio Marchionne, the legendary automotive leader who saved Italy’s Fiat from bankruptcy during the mid-2000s.
The 51-year-old protégé will need those teachings more than ever as he seeks to revive the fortunes of the world’s fourth-largest carmaker navigating Donald Trump’s trade war and the industry’s shift to electric vehicles.
The Naples native inherits a sprawling group of 14 brands — which was formed in 2021 from the merger of France’s PSA and Italy’s Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The company suffered a 70 per cent drop in net profit last year, burned through €6bn in cash and is yet to rebuild its position in the US, its most profitable market.