Carlos Tavares recently admitted that the idea of retirement is certainly an option he will consider when his current term as CEO of Stellantis ends in 2026. “In two years, I’ll be 68, a reasonable age to consider retirement,” he stated during a visit to the Sochaux plant in France. Therefore, the possibility of leaving the leadership of Stellantis at the end of his term in 2026 is an option to be evaluated.
Here are the main candidates to take Carlos Tavares’ place at the helm of Stellantis from 2026
Chairman John Elkann has stated that he is looking for a potential replacement, and the group’s board of directors will examine this possibility in the coming days, searching for potential successors. The decision is likely to be made as early as the first half of 2025, to allow an internal candidate to be adequately trained or give an external candidate time to organize.
Regarding current Stellantis managers who could be promoted to the CEO role, names mentioned include Uwe Hochgeschurtz, former CEO of Opel and current head of Europe, and Maxime Picat, former head of Peugeot and now responsible for the group’s purchasing and supply chain. Among possible external successors, names circulating include José Munoz, head of global strategies and the North American market for Hyundai, and a manager from major American tech giants, whose experience could prove crucial for software development, increasingly critical in defining and differentiating a vehicle’s “character”.
Finally, the idea of Luca de Meo, current CEO of Renault, is gaining traction, as he might consider the possibility of moving to Stellantis. Alternatively, he could lead a group resulting from a merger between the two companies, supported by the French government, which holds shares in both automakers. However, news of a merger between the two groups has been denied by both Carlos Tavares and Luca de Meo himself. Nevertheless, there’s also the possibility that Carlos Tavares might surprise everyone by accepting to lead the Stellantis group for another term.