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Stellantis appoints new head of U.S. retail sales

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Stellantis appoints new head of U.S. retail sales

Stellantis NV on Friday said it has appointed a new leader overseeing U.S. retail sales, ending the approximately three-month tenure of the prior top sales executive.

Matt Thompson, a 25-year veteran of the company who has worked in various assignments with dealers, took over from Jason Stoicevich as senior vice president of U.S. retail sales. The change was effective immediately, Stellantis said.

Stoicevich, the president of Stellantis Canada before he was announced as the new top American sales leader in February, “has elected to leave the company for personal reasons,” the company said in a statement from spokesperson Shawn Morgan.

Thompson, most recently the automaker’s vice president of sales planning and programs, will now oversee all U.S. sales planning, incentives, promotions, dealer relations and field operations for the company’s 2,600 dealers. He previously worked in several dealer-centric assignments for the company including in its northeast and Midwest business centers.

“Matt has a deep background supporting our sales organization and most recently has been focused on the most critical aspects of our commercial business,” Carlos Zarlenga chief operating officer for Stellantis North America, said in a statement.

“Matt’s experiences are invaluable at this time of transition for the industry and our company. With our stable of iconic brands, we will continue to bring consumers exciting, must have products to compete in today’s hyper-competitive market.”

The change in sales leadership comes as Stellantis vehicles are sitting in U.S. dealer inventory about twice as long as the industry average. Dealers have expressed concern in recent months about high prices for the cars in a time of inflation and high interest rates, and the company says it has responded with price cuts and other incentive programs. In the first quarter, Stellantis sales dropped 10% year-over-year in the United States, while for all of 2023, sales declined 1%.

lramseth@detroitnews.com

@lramseth

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