It’s official: Carlos Tavares will leave Stellantis in 2026

Gloria Fiocchi Author
Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, has confirmed his previous statements: he will leave the company in 2026 at the end of his term.
Carlos Tavares

Carlos Tavares, current CEO of Stellantis, has definitively confirmed that he will retire permanently from the leadership of Stellantis once his term is over. Therefore, as of the beginning of 2026 Carlos Tavares will no longer be the CEO of Stellantis. Carlos Tavares became chairman of PSA’s board of directors in March 2014, only two months after he joined the group. This, in fact, was long before the CEO was chosen to lead the Stellantis automotive group, which happened in January 2021. His career prior to Stellantis, also includes a long period with Renault, which ran from 2011 to 2013, where, however, he had started as early as 1981. He also spent time at Nissan, where he had moved in 2004.

Carlos Tavares is ready to retire

After several doubts and contemplations, it is now true. The news in fact is absolutely recent, Carlo Tavares the leader of Stellantis has announced that he will retire once his term is over, scheduled for early 2026. The CEO said that in early 2026 he will be 68 years old, so retirement is a good option. This was a statement made to reporters during a visit to Peugeot’s historic plant in Sochaux. Now, however, it is no longer just a rumor. Carlos Tavares’ retirement has been definitively confirmed.

As from the press release issued by the company, Carlos Tavares will be leaving his position as CEO Stellantis. In fact, the current CEO confirmed that in this very difficult period for the auto industry worldwide, the ethical duty of the company is to adapt and prepare for the future in the best way possible. Moreover, it must be done in a better way and even faster than all competitors. By doing so, the company may be able to make clean, safe, and completely affordable mobility available to consumers. 

Tavares

Tavares also added that the new members of the corporate leadership team will be fully capable of making their valuable contributions to the determination of the current team to best meet the challenges of the future. Only in this way will it be possible to strengthen and accelerate Stellantis’ transformation to become a preferred mobility technology company for good. Finally, he also thanked everyone for making a valuable contribution in laying a solid foundation for the future of a great and successful company like Stellantis.

Elkann - Tavares

John Elkann looking for a replacement for Tavares

In the press release issued by Stellantis, the company then confirmed that it has formalized the process to identify a successor to Carlo Tavares, whose term will end in January 2026. Now, the search for a new CEO of the company has been entrusted to a very special committee of the Board of Directors. This team is chaired by John Elkann, who is expected to complete this important process by the fourth quarter of next year, to which Elkann could probably refer.

Presently, therefore, all we know is that over the next year it is likely that Carlos Tavares’ successor at the helm of Stellantis from 2026 will be identified. Some of the possible names for the succession were also announced in an earlier news story. And in addition to this, not only is Carlos Tavares preparing for this big change of leaving the post to someone else, but other important members of the Group have decided to leave and there are already successors. Stay tuned to read more news about all the big changes taking place at Stellantis.