Dodge Ram. It might not be called that anymore, but at least one person at Stellantis will have both of those names on their business card. Tim Kuniskis, widely known as the current CEO of the Dodge brand, will also assume responsibilities of the entire Ram truck brand within the United States. He will replace Mike Koval, who will go onto head Mopar North America. Koval will report to Stellantis North America Chief Operating Officer Mark Stewart. These new roles are effective starting July 1.
While the name is used by enthusiasts as a catch-all to describe Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram and even Plymouth products, Mopar is actually the parts and accessories division for those brands, as well as historically being the banner selling all sorts of warranty-backed performance upgrades. Today, we also see names like Jeep Performance Parts and Dodge Direct Connection filling those roles.
Mike Koval Jr.,Ram Brand CEO, right, unveils the 2025 Ram 1500 REV at the 2023 New York International Auto Show.
It’s not immediately clear why Kuniskis will be taking on the added responsibilities on top of leading Dodge though a major transition, but perhaps the future product lineup in a year or two will help it make sense.
“These changes demonstrate that the diversity of talent and experience inside Stellantis’ top executive team make it possible to adapt our leadership team to address the challenging business environment while continuing the success story that this team has built over the past two and a half years with the focused execution of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares in a press release.
Looking ahead, Tim Kuniskis will be overseeing two brands undergoing major change.
At Dodge, we see the end of an era as both the Challenger and Charger as we know it sunset after the 2023 model year. These vehicles, as well as the Hellcat V8, were paramount to growing the brand’s cachet. In their place will be an all-electric Dodge muscle car, as previewed by the Charger SRT Daytona Banshee Concept. Other vehicles, such as a full-sized next-gen Durango and midsize Dodge Stealth SUV are also expected. As for the Chrysler FCA Stellantis truck brand that was once part of Dodge, it’s expected to soon offer a Hurricane twin-turbo engine under the hood of the Ram 1500 here in the USA, as well as the all-electric REV pickup, and a midsized electric truck, as well.
Tim Kuniskis teasing a future Dodge product during Stellantis EV Day.
