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The battle isn’t over as Stellantis works to turn things around. Stellantis intends to bring new electric vehicle models to market and managed to recruit the head of Rivian production to get things back on track. 

Stellantis hires the president of Rivian manufacturing 

While Stellantis has been facing declining sales and the loss of key executives, it just recruited a crucial player in the electric vehicle market, which means more bad news for Rivian. 

Tim Fallon has stepped down from leading Rivian manufacturing operations to join the Stellantis team. Fallon has been appointed as the Stellantis Head of Manufacturing in North America. His new role to bolster the Stellantis plug-in hybrid lineup will begin on September 2. 

A Rivian spokesperson shares that the team has had different leaders as it approaches different levels of business scaling. It’s positioning the organization structure for the future. 

That’s a positive outlook as Fallon’s departure adds to the dozens of high-level leaders that have left the EV maker in recent months. The departures include at least four C-suite level executives. 

Carlos Materazzo, Vice President of Supply Chain and Logistics will step in to lead Rivian’s manufacturing team for the time being. 

The 2024 Rivian R1T in a parking garage
2024 Rivian R1T | Rivan

Also, there are a few different hurdles to solve as demand for electric trucks and SUVs slows down. Drivers are turning to hybrid and PHEV models instead. 

Carlos Zarlengs, Stellantins North America Chief of Operations shared that Tim brings his relentless pursuit of operation excellence EV manufacturing experience to Stallantis during a critical stage of transformation. 

He continued to explain that this year marks the start of the Stellantis electric vehicle offensive and he has full confidence in Tim’s passion and collaborative spirit to lead the team and deliver high-quality vehicles to drivers. 

Stellantis needs this transition to go well after losing key members like Jim Morrison, head of Jeep North America, and Tim Kuniskis, CEO of Dodge Ram. 

However, one could argue that instead of focusing on new electric cars, Stellantis should concentrate on improving existing models.

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Staff Writer

Allison Barfield

Allison Barfield joined MotorBiscuit in 2020 and covers all things trucks, SUVs, and Jeeps. Having grown up on a farm in Rock Hill, South Carolina, she’s no stranger to the “Best in Class” truck and SUV debates; people in her hometown were always gathering to help work on vehicles together, and deliberation would naturally arise.

Allison graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Media Arts. She has helped bring awareness to issues Women In Trucking face and has promoted Truckers Against Trafficking, an anti-trafficking NGO.

A fan of creatively dark literature, Allison appreciates the works of Shirley Jackson and Emily Dickenson. She lives in a mountainous area of the country and enjoys off-roading and camping. Her dog, Bruce, often joins her in testing trucks and SUVs for our site.