Stellantis on Monday named new chief executives for its Ram and Jeep brands, reshuffling the leadership of the two American nameplates at the centre of chief executive Antonio Filosa’s US turnaround.
Matt VanDyke was appointed CEO of Ram, effective immediately, succeeding Tim Kuniskis, who has led the brand alongside a wider role overseeing Stellantis‘s American brands, North American marketing and retail strategy since July 2025.
VanDyke joins Ram from the digital marketing firm Shift Digital, where he was president, and earlier ran FordDirect and held senior marketing posts at Ford, including head of US marketing and global marketing chief for Lincoln.
Branden Coté was named CEO of Jeep, effective August 3, taking over from Bob Broderdorf, who has run the brand since February 2025 and is stepping away on medical leave.
Coté arrives at Jeep from the dealership group AutoNation, where he was a brand president, after earlier roles at Aston Martin, the EV start-up Canoo and Mercedes-Benz.
Stellantis said Broderdorf would take on a new leadership role on his return.
Both executives will report to Kuniskis, who cast the appointments as part of Filosa’s push to assemble seasoned leaders and said the pair would “take these iconic American brands to the next level.”
Divergent Fortunes
Ram has led Stellantis‘s US recovery, with total pickup sales up 14.0% in the second quarter and about a fifth in the first, helping the group to a fourth straight quarter of US growth.
Stellantis lifted its US sales 6.0% in the second quarter and 5.0% in the first half, to 634,187 vehicles.
Jeep, traditionally Stellantis‘s top-selling US brand, has lagged. Sales fell 5.0% in the second quarter, with the Wrangler down 12.0% and the Grand Cherokee off 6.0%, as the new Cherokee hybrid — about 8,000 sold in the quarter — was slow to catch on.
The full-size Grand Wagoneer saw its retail sales up 43.0%.
The Filosa Reset
The reshuffle is the latest step in Filosa’s overhaul since he took over after Carlos Tavares’s abrupt departure.
He has cast the group’s early-2026 rebound as evidence of “actions to return Stellantis to sustainable, profitable growth”.
In May, Stellantis unveiled a five-year, $70 billion plan, dubbed FaSTLAne 2030, centred on its most profitable US market and its two core brands there, Jeep and Ram.
The plan promises 11 new North American vehicles, cheaper models priced in the $20,000s and $30,000s, and a return to positive cash flow by 2027, unwinding the price rises and all-electric focus of the Tavares era.
Ram scrapped its all-electric 1500 REV pickup in 2025 in favour of the extended-range Ramcharger, a petrol-assisted EV that has slipped repeatedly.
Jeep has paced production of its slow-selling electric Wagoneer S, pushed its second EV, the Recon, to later in 2026, and lined up a range-extended Grand Wagoneer.
