Ram’s New CEO Knows Ford’s Pickup Playbook

Stellantis Doubles Down

Stellantis is explicitly prioritizing Ram and Jeepunder its five-year FaSTLAne 2030 plan, which allocates 70% of brand and product investment for Jeep and Ram, along with Peugeot, Fiat, and the Pro One commercial-vehicle unit. Now, the company appears to be further strengthening that strategy by appointing new CEOs for Jeep and Ram – one of whom spent years working for Ford.

Matt VanDyke took over as Ram CEO on July 20, while Branden Coté will take the helm at Jeep starting August 3. VanDyke, who succeeded Tim Kuniskis, previously served as president of Shift Digital after working as CEO of FordDirect and holding several roles at Ford Motor Company, including head of U.S. marketing, Ford of Europe vice president of marketing, and Lincoln head of global marketing, sales, and service.

Meanwhile, Coté’s most recent role was brand president at AutoNation after serving in leadership positions at Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd., Canoo, and Mercedes-AMG/Mercedes-Benz USA, among other automakers and dealers. He will replace Bob Broderdorf, who is taking medical leave but will return in another leadership role.

The Sales Climb Starts Now

Both VanDyke and Coté will report to Kuniskis, Stellantis’ head of American brands, North America marketing, and retail strategy. They will be tasked with overseeing the brands as they target significant sales growth in North America by 2030: 60% for Ram and 15% for Jeep.

Those targets suggest that Ram could eventually replace Jeep as the face of Stellantis in North America. It does not sound far-fetched, given how much Americans love their pickup trucks. The Ford F-Series continues to be the best-selling vehicle line in the U.S., followed by the Chevrolet Silverado. Ram will also expand its pickup lineup to gain market share in additional segments, including the Dakota in the midsize class and a Rampage-based model in the compact space, where the Ford Maverick faces limited competition. Perhaps VanDyke’s background at Ford could also help with that campaign.

Selling The Stellantis Dream

What is interesting about the hires is that both new CEOs are customer-facing commercial leaders rather than technical executives. This suggests that Stellantis is prioritizing sales, marketing, dealer relations, and rebuilding customer interest in Ram and Jeep.

One could argue, however, that Ram and Jeep already have strong products in the 1500 and Wrangler, respectively. Still, it will be interesting to see whether the brands can achieve their ambitious targets.