How Stellantis Plans to Bounce Back in 2026

During the automaker’s recent sales call, in which it announced figures for the first half of 2025, new Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa put it bluntly:

‘2025 is proving to be a year marked by difficulties, but also by gradual improvements. Comparing the first half of 2025 with the second half of 2024, signs of progress are evident.’

The automaker’s declining numbers are obvious, with consolidated revenues down by 12.6 percent, marking a whopping €2.3-billion loss year-over-year. Those numbers are worse than the same period in 2024, but they are better when compared to July / December of last year.

The question is: Where does Stellantis go from here? Thankfully, the automaker appears to be on a slow road to recovery, driven largely by the launch of new models and the promise (in the US, at least) of the return of historically popular V-8 engines. And there’s more where that came from.

In Europe, Small Cars Still Rule

Looking first at the European market, Stellantis just launched three new models: The Citroen C3 Aircross, the Fiat Grande Panda, and the Opel Frontera. The two SUVs and the small hatchback use the same “Smart Car” platform, which helps keep them affordable.

Photo by: Fiat

Photo by: Citroën

These models compete in segments that, in Europe, represent the heart of the market. Just look at the rankings of the best-selling cars in the first six months of 2025: Three small cars sit atop the podium (Dacia Sandero, Renault Clio, and Peugeot 208), followed by a compact SUV, the Volkswagen T-Roc.

Stellantis models follow that trend, with various powertrain options like electric, hybrid, and pure internal combustion. Even the revamped Citroen C4 / C4X and the Opel Mokka have been instrumental in increasing market share (+127 points) over the second half of 2024.

Photo by: Jeep

Photo by: Citroën

Still missing from the lineup are the newly introduced Jeep Compass, the Citroen C5 Aircross, and the DS N°8, all based on the STLA Medium platform. If the French fastback—available exclusively with an electric powertrain—is destined for a niche market, the two compact SUVs will have stiff competition.

But with a steadily growing segment, the chances of success are real.

Old Glory for the US

While electrification drives sales in Europe, it’s a different story across the Atlantic, as gasoline engines still thrive. Following Carlos Tavares’s farewell as CEO, the automaker’s US subsidiary decided to bring back the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, ready to return under the hoods of Ram pickups for 2025. Clearly, bigger is better. 

The other big news will be the arrival of the Dodge Charger Sixpack, which will ditch its battery for a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six instead. Stellantis hopes sales of this gas model will lift the poor results of the electric variant. 

Photo by: Dodge

Photo by: Jeep

In the second half of 2025—two years after the demise of the last-generation SUV—the new Jeep Cherokee will make a comeback, powered by hybrid tech. It’ll be based on the STLA Large platform, and it could even have a full electric variant. The bigger architecture means that it will be able to use larger engines, like the straight-six in the Charger. 

Let’s not forget the new Alfa Romeo Stelvio will also use the STLA Large platform, so it might be worth looking closer at that SUV to get some clues about the Jeep. Here’s what Filosa had to say:

‘My first weeks as CEO have reconfirmed my firm belief that we will fix what doesn’t work in Stellantis, capitalizing on everything that does work, starting right from the strength, energy, and ideas of our people, along with the fantastic new products we are bringing to market.’

The New Business Plan

Filosa also spoke briefly about Stellantis’s new business plan on the sales call, but the company won’t have an official announcement until the beginning of 2026 on Capital Markets Day in Europe.

So there are still many months to go before we know how much the company’s strategy will change. That means the future of two highly anticipated models, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia, initially planned for 2025 and 2026, respectively, is still up in the air.