Dodge and Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis spent more than three decades with Stellantis and its forebears.
There’s been quite a bit of shakeup among all the brands under Stellantis’ umbrella over the years, and that continues as Tim Kuniskis will depart the company next week, after 32 years. While he’s well-known within the Dodge brand, particularly for spearheading the “Brotherhood of Muscle” initiative including the introduction of the Hellcat and Demon models, as well as reviving the Direct Connection sub-brand to bring aftermarket tuning to Dodge owners, he also took the helm at Ram in July 2023, after former brand CEO Mike Koval moved over to Mopar.
While Kuniskis stayed at Stellantis just long enough to see it enter its next, electified era, the swan song of his tenure is undoubtedly the 1,025-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. And that’s just the capstone for what’s been a monumental decade of bringing insane levels of power to the masses, from the original Hellcats to the original Demon and so many derivatives (including the superb 710-horsepower Durango Hellcat).
Moving forward, Chrysler brand CEO Christine Feuell will take on leadership of the Ram brand. As for Dodge, former sales operations leader Matt McAlear has been appointed as the brand’s new CEO. Of the two appointments, Stellantis chief executive Carlos Tavares said in a statement: “I want to take the opportunity to warmly thank Tim for his passion, commitment and contributions to Stellantis and in defining the vision of the future electrified Ram and Dodge brands. I am confident that Chris will continue the work of Tim in leading the iconic Ram brand. Matt will bring a fresh perspective, while continuing to draw on the heritage of our iconic Dodge brand and leading the transition of the brand toward a sustainable future.”
Kuniskis will officially leave Stellantis on June 1, with his successors set to step into their new roles the same day. The move comes amid a turbulent time for both the company and the industry as a whole, as each automaker tries to find their balance between electrifying their model lineup and bringing out the most appealing models for customers — namely hybrids or turbocharged gasoline cars — in the short-term.
