The Opel mother group Stellantis suffered a significant drop in profits last year. The operational profit was sagged by almost two thirds to 8.6 billion euros, as the company announced on Wednesday. The net win even shrank by 70 percent, while the operational margin at 5.5 percent more than halved. This year it should also be in the middle single -digit percentage range, although ten new models are launched. “We focus on winning market shares in 2025 and improving the financial performance,” said interim and administrative council chief John Elkann (48). The stock reacted to the numbers with loss losses.
Elkann is still looking for a successor for ex-group boss Carlos Tavares (66). The debacle of the past year had Find out of the Portuguese Led in early December. Under him, Stellantis had significantly screwed up the prices of his US brands Jeep, Ram, Chrysler and Dodge. Storage stocks grew, the production was reduced. The group relegated to fifth place in the USA in the USA. In the second half of the year, the group earned only 185 million euros in the previous year of only 185 million euros in the same period and wrote the bottom line.
After all, the VW competitor sees light at the end of the tunnel: after a decrease of 17 percent to 157 billion euros, the proceeds are to increase this year. Liquidity should also grow after around six billion euros in cash was burned in 2024. The analysts from the Bernstein investment house pointed out that the majority of the improvement is only expected in the second half of the year. In addition, increasing US import tariffs may not yet be taken into account.
Production throttling in Europe – Investments in the USA
The second largest European car company Volkswagen Production also throttled in Europe, for example in the important Fiat plant in Turin. Almost all European brands – Bangot,, Opel/Vauxhall, Citroën, DS, Fiat and Alfa Romeo – have lost market shares. Opel/Vauxhall sold 9.5 percent less with 414,000 vehicles. 15.2 percent of the market share in Europe was eliminated after 16.5 percent in 2023. Group sales shrank by 12 percent worldwide. Overall, the gigant Stellantis, merged with Fiat Chrysler and the French PSA group, has 14 brands, even more than VW.
According to experts, the portfolio should be thinned out to raise efficiency. Analysts call the premium brands Alfa Romeo, DS and Lancia as candidates.
In order to get back to drive in the United States, Stellantis had also announced extensive investments in the United States at the beginning of the year. According to reports, the group plans to invest more than $ 5 billion there in the next few years. In the course of investment planning Donald Trump (78).