Jeep North America to be Led by Alfa Romeo Boss
Tim Kuniskis will usher in the 2020 Wrangler Pickup as the new Jeep boss while retaining his position at Alfa Romeo.
It’s been a time of great change at FCA over the recent months in the wake of the passing of CEO Sergio Marchionne. His successor, former Jeep boss Mike Manley, has done plenty to keep the mothership floating above the Rubicon Trail, including a plan to reshuffle the leadership structure near the top of the bridge.
That plan was put into place on October 1, according to the Detroit Free Press. One of the biggest announcements was Manley himself stepping away from handling Jeep’s efforts in North America, placing them in the hands of its new chief, Tim Kuniskis.
Kuniskis is the global head of Alfa Romeo, having been placed there following the launch of the Dodge Demon in 2017, a project he oversaw as the president and CEO of the Dodge and SRT brands from 2014 until earlier this year. Per Manley in his letter announcing the leadership changes, Kuniskis will “maintain his responsibilities as global head of Alfa Romeo and will apply his proven skills in product and marketing to two of the industry’s most cherished brands, both of which have significant growth ambitions in our five-year plan.”
Kuniskis has plenty of work ahead of him. Aside from upcoming products like the long-awaited Jeep Wrangler-based pickup and brand-new 2019 Renegade, the Jeep brand plans to launch two new vehicles a year every year between 2018 and 2022. By the end of the launch period, Jeep is expected to have 10 PHEVs and a quartet of full-fledged electric vehicles to help carry the off-road icon into the 2020s.
While Kuniskis will keep the Jeep flag flying high in North America, nothing has been announced thus far as to who will run the brand in the rest of the world, a duty Manley held prior to his ascension to the top leadership role at FCA.