Stellantis Says No To Rebadging New Products Across 14 Brands  

Last month, Stellantis revealed its roadmap for the rest of the decade and beyond. It plans to launch 110 new or updated vehicles while investing most of its resources in four global brands among the 14 within the conglomerate. It sounds like a recipe for rebadging, but the automaker says these vehicles will be distinct models.  

Jeep, Ram, Peugeot, and Fiat are the global brands that will serve as launching points for new products, platforms, and technologies. New Stellantis models will launch with one of these four badges, and as those brands develop new products, the other regional brands will invest resources to differentiate them.  

In an interview with Autocar, Emanuele Cappellano, Stellantis’ European boss, said that brands need to “change the design, body type and shape and brand attributes,” and “all the features that are characteristic for each and every brand.”  

He told the publication that “most of the effort, in terms of capital expenditure, is on diversifying—really diversifying—the models and line-up and not just rebadging. So, you will have the new Peugeot first, and after that you have a new Vauxhall that is not a rebadged Peugeot, then an Alfa Romeo, a Jeep, or whatever.”  

We might already have a peek at what this will look like. A recent product video highlighting Stellantis’ multi-energy powertrain lineup appears to show off a mystery Chrysler that could be the new Airflow. It has a distinct design, but it also looks like it is based on the Jeep Cherokee, especially the doors, door handles, and daylight opening.  

Motor1’s Take: Stellantis might have a grand plan to differentiate its products that will share platforms, powertrains, and other technologies, but unique designs will only go so far. Pricing and features will matter just as much, and that will be hard to do if the underlying architecture is similar.