A few weeks ago, when I heard the name Stellantis, I thought it was some new medical drug for the treatment of acidity or constipation. In my mind, the name also rhymed with Atlantis, a fabled island in the Atlantic Ocean that, according to legend, sank beneath the sea! Anyway, now the world knows that Stellantis is the new auto company formed by the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Groupe PSA, completing a more than two-year effort to form one of the world’s largest vehicle manufacturers. According to reports, the merger of FCA and Peugeot creates the world’s fourth-largest automaker with 400,000 employees in 130 countries and 30 manufacturing plants with 14 brands.
According to the company, Stellantis draws on the Latin “stello,” meaning “to brighten with stars”, and surely hopes to be a stellar performer. “We believe that Stellantis needs to be great rather than big,” said Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis. The merger is estimated to save about Euro five billion a year by converging vehicles and powertrains, jointly procuring parts and integrating sales and marketing functions. “You can trust our management in our execution capability,” Tavares said while launching its stock on the New York stock exchange. “We are here to get the job done,” he said.
He also assured the FCA employees that he doesn’t expect any layoffs due to company’s new global scale. But history tells a different story. One auto analyst, Sam Abuelsamid, says mergers end up with fewer jobs somewhere down the line, if not right away. “American jobs are probably less at risk, but I do expect that we will see some job losses in Europe than North America,” said Abuelsamid. To be sure, the auto industry is driving toward an uncertain future, where cars increasingly run off of batteries and software, with the internal combustion engine may be headed for demise. Bloomberg Intelligence service said, “Stellantis faces a mixed outlook as US stimulus plans may buoy Chrysler versus a more uncertain outlook for Peugeot in Europe.
Chrysler’s History
The American Big Three OEMs – GM, Ford, and Chrysler – all have a checkered history, but none as varied as that of Chrysler! GM, due to its dominant size and anti-trust regulations, is not a candidate for merger and acquisition (M&A). Ford, due to its family ownership, is not an easy candidate for M&A also. That leaves Chrysler, the smallest of the three, as a feasible M&A candidate for foreign OEMs, seeking to gain US entry.
Chrysler was founded by Walter Chrysler in 1925, when the Maxwell Motor Company (est. 1904) was re-organised into the Chrysler Corporation. In the 1930s, the company created a formal vehicle parts division under the MoPar brand.
In 1978, under the leadership of Lee Iacocca, Chrysler sold its loss-making European division to Peugeot!
In 1979, the company was on the brink of going out-of-business and was rescued by the US government through $1.5 billion in loan guarantees.
In 1987, it acquired American Motors Corporation (AMC), for much-needed production capacity and the Jeep brand, which has helped Chrysler tremendously.
In 1998 Daimler-Benz and Chrysler formed a 50–50 partnership. Chrysler Corporation then was legally renamed DaimlerChrysler Motors Company LLC. On May 14, 2007, DaimlerChrysler AG sold 80.1 percent of its stake in the Chrysler Group to Cerberus Capital Management, and DaimlerChrysler Corporation became Chrysler Holding LLC.
Towards the end of 2008, amid the great depression, Chrysler announced that they were dangerously low on cash and may not survive past 2009, and announced a plan to file for bankruptcy and permanently shut down all operations. On March 30, 2009, American Government provided an additional USD six billion to support Chrysler, contingent on the company finalising an alliance with Fiat. While the merger negotiations were still going on, Chrysler did file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the Federal Bankruptcy Court in New York in April 2009.
On May 24, 2011, Fiat paid back USD 7.6 billion in the US and Canadian Government loans. In July, Fiat bought the Chrysler shares held by the United States Treasury. With the purchase, Chrysler once again became foreign-owned, this time an Italian company, to be known as FCA US LLC. And now, Chrysler again has a new name! How long will it last? (MT)
Maruti Suzuki Celerio Scores 3 Star In Global NCAP Rating, Ciaz Gets 1 Star
- By MT Bureau
- December 22, 2025
Global NCAP, the automotive safety watchdog, has announced the latest results for its #SaferCarsForIndia campaign, with two models from Maruti Suzuki India, the country's largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, receiving mixed results.
The latest crash test result saw Global NCAP awarding the Maruti Suzuki Celerio a three-star rating for adult occupant protection following the inclusion of six airbags as standard. A previous version of the vehicle, equipped with two airbags, had received two stars for adult occupant safety and one star for child protection.
The technical evaluations of the six-airbag Celerio indicated protection levels ranging from good to marginal. The assessment noted that both the footwell and the bodyshell were unstable. Tests also showed exposure of children’s heads during front and side impacts.
On the other hand, the company’s popular sedan model the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz received a 1-star rating in the same assessment. The report for this model highlighted:
- The absence of side head protection.
- An unstable footwell and bodyshell.
- A lack of three-point seatbelts in all seating positions.
In contrast, Global NCAP reported that the new Dzire and Victoris models achieved five-star ratings.
Richard Woods, Chief Executive Officer of Global NCAP, said, “We are encouraged that Maruti Suzuki is committed to improving safety with five star performance for new models like the Dzire and Victoris, it remains disappointing however that some legacy models fall short.”
The results follow a commitment from Maruti Suzuki to increase safety standards across its future vehicle range.
CARS24 Appoints Divanshu Saxena As CBO Of Financial Services Arm
- By MT Bureau
- December 22, 2025
CARS24 has announced the promotion of Divanshu Saxena to Chief Business Officer (CBO) of its NBFC arm, CARS24 Financial Services.
In his new role, Saxena will oversee the strategy, growth and execution of the financial services division. His responsibilities include scaling lending operations, managing risk and maintaining profitability as the company develops its financial services platform.
Saxena previously managed the consumer financing business for LOANS24. During his tenure, the division recorded growth in finance penetration and contributions from non-retail lending. The company noted that his work focused on unit economics and portfolio quality.
Ruchit Agarwal, Co-Founder & Group CFO, CARS24, said, “Divanshu has played a pivotal role in building CARS24 Financial Services into a strong and institutionally sound business. His disciplined approach to growth, deep understanding of lending economics, and consistent execution have laid a solid foundation for scale. We are proud to elevate leaders from within, and as CBO, Divanshu will be central to shaping the next phase of growth for LOANS24.”
Before joining CARS24, Saxena served as a Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) within the Financial Services and Industrial Goods practice. He is an alumnus of IIM Calcutta, where he graduated with a silver medal, and Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), University of Delhi.
Divanshu Saxena said, “Building LOANS24 has been about creating a lending business that balances speed with discipline and growth with resilience. As CBO, my focus will be on scaling responsibly, strengthening our fundamentals, and continuing to build a financial services platform that earns long-term trust from customers and partners.”
Hyundai Motor Group Announces Executive Appointments For 2026
- By MT Bureau
- December 19, 2025
South Korean auto major Hyundai Motor Group has announced executive appointments effective from 1st January 2026. The changes focus on the transition to software-defined vehicles (SDV) and the development of manufacturing technology.
In total, 219 executives have been promoted across the Group, comprising four Presidents, 14 Executive Vice Presidents, 25 Senior Vice-Presidents and 176 Vice Presidents. Approximately 30 percent of these promotions are within R&D and technology sectors.
Manfred Harrer has been promoted to President and Head of the R&D Division. Since joining in 2024, Harrer has managed vehicle development. His new role focuses on SDV competitiveness and development projects.
Juncheul Jung is promoted to President. Jung currently manages the Manufacturing Solutions and Procurement Divisions. His remit involves the Group's Software-Defined Factory (SDF) approach and the integration of robotics into production systems.
Yeong Il Choi becomes Executive Vice President and Head of Domestic Production. Choi also takes the role of Chief Safety Officer (CSO) for production facilities in South Korea.
The company also announced revamping leadership positions in its regional business, where it has appointed Seung Kyu Yoon as President of Kia North America Operations, Bo-Ryong Lee as President and CEO of Hyundai Steel Operations, Gang Hyun Seo as Head of Corporate Planning, Affiliate Business Optimisation, Sungwon Jee as Executive Vice-President, Hyundai Brand Marketing and Yongseok Shin as Executive Vice-President of HMG Business Intelligence Institute.
Hyundai Motor Group has internalised technologies including the 'Pleos Connect' infotainment system and 'Atria AI' for autonomous driving. Appointments in engineering include Jeonghun Seo in Battery Engineering and Duckhwan Kim in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Engineering.
Jaehoon Chang, Vice Chair, continues to oversee the direction for mobility, hydrogen energy and robotics. Within the financial sector, Chang Hyun Cho (Hyundai Card) and Si Woo Jeon (Hyundai Commercial) have been promoted to Executive Vice-President.
"The appointments are intended to strengthen organisational resilience and expand the leadership pipeline across functions. In addition, the appointments reflect the Group’s commitment to turning global uncertainties into opportunities for renewal and growth. It will continue to advance bold leadership transformation and secure strong competitiveness in the SDV era," the company said.
Maruti Suzuki India’s WagonR Surpasses 3.5 Million Units Production Milestone
- By MT Bureau
- December 18, 2025
Maruti Suzuki India has attained a production milestone of 3.5 million units for the popular hatchback the WagonR.
The model, which spans three generations, was first launched in India in December 1999 and is currently manufactured at the company's facilities in Gurgaon and Manesar, Haryana.
The WagonR joins the Alto and Swift as models within the Maruti Suzuki portfolio to reach this volume. Globally, the Suzuki WagonR was first introduced in Japan in September 1993 and is now sold in over 75 countries. In August 2025, the model reached 100 million units in cumulative global sales.
The current WagonR is built on the fifth-generation Heartect platform. Standard safety features include six airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Electronic Stability Program (ESP).
On the inside, it comes with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Bluetooth and voice command functionality.
The vehicle has been the highest-selling car in India for the previous four financial years.
Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “This achievement is not just a production milestone, but reflects the enduring love and confidence that generations of customers have shown towards brand WagonR. It is rare for a vehicle to receive such acceptance even after 25 years since its launch. The WagonR kept evolving with the introduction of new technology and features over time, while retaining its original DNA. The WagonR has been highly appreciated for aspects like its iconic tall-boy design, spacious interiors and fuel efficiency, which aptly reflect our customers’ needs and expectations. We are deeply grateful for their continued support and remain committed to providing ‘Joy of Mobility’ for generations to come.”
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