Chairman John Elkann spent four days in Washington meeting with new U.S. President Donald Trump and several senior administration officials, news reports from Reuters.
Elkann meets with Trump in Washington
After a very difficult 2024, the automotive group led by John Elkann is grappling with intense reorganization. Following the farewell of the previous CEO, Carlos Tavares, Elkann initiated a series of very important meetings with the governments of the countries in which Stellantis operates and with employee representatives. The main objective is to reassure all stakeholders about the efforts the group is putting in place to try to maintain employment levels and to invest in its brands with the most history. “As 2025 begins, we should be proud of what we have accomplished so far. By tackling the major challenges in our industry, in the four years since the creation of Stellantis, we have achieved many important milestones. This is undoubtedly a solid foundation on which to continue building our future together.” This was stated by Stellantis Chairman John Elkann.
Elkann, who is currently at the helm of Stellantis while the automaker is searching for a new CEO, was among the top global executives invited to Trump’s inauguration celebration on Monday. Trump did not immediately impose duties after his inauguration on Monday, but he still confirmed that he was planning to impose 25 percent duties on imports from Canada and Mexico on Feb. 1. Stellatis, which has established production in Canada and Mexico of some cars destined for the U.S. market, had previously said it considered itself well-positioned to adapt to the policy changes imposed by Trump.
Stakeholder statements
“Trump’s clear focus on policies that support a strong and competitive manufacturing base in the U.S. is extremely positive,” Trump said in a statement. “We look forward to working with him on the critical goals of strengthening our industry and the nation’s economy.” Stellantis operates two assembly plants in Mexico: Saltillo, which produces Ram pickups and vans, and Toluca, for the Jeep Compass midsize SUV. It also owns two assembly plants in Ontario, Canada: in Windsor, where it produces Chrysler models, and Brampton, which is currently undergoing reorganization and whose production is expected to resume in 2025 with a new Jeep model.
According to what was confirmed last Tuesday by analysts at Banca Akros in a note, the company imports about 40 percent of the vehicles it sells in the United States from Mexico and Canada. In his inaugural address on Monday, Trump also voiced some criticism of electric vehicles, thereby rescinding a 2021 executive order signed by his predecessor Joe Biden. This order aimed to ensure that half of all new vehicles sold in the United States by 2030 would be electric.