Tim Kuniskis, head of Dodge Brand talks about the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept before its unveiling on Aug. 17, 2022, in Pontiac, Mich. Kuniskis, the unofficial voice of American muscle cars, is retiring from Stellantis after nearly 32 years with the company.
AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File
DETROIT (AP) — Tim Kuniskis, CEO of the Ram and Dodge brands and the unofficial voice of American muscle cars, is retiring after nearly 32 years with Stellantis.
The announcement Friday comes as Stellantis struggles with U.S. sales as it begins the transition from internal combustion to electric vehicles. Through April, its sales were down 14.1% while the industry as a whole saw a 3.1% increase, according to Motorintelligence.com.
For years Kuniskis was the spokesman for high-performance American cars, introducing many powerful models including last year’s 1,025 horsepower Challenger SRT Demon 170.
But in March Kuniskis led the unveiling of two battery-powered versions of the Charger muscle car, while keeping one gas-powered version of the Charger without a big Hemi V8.
Recently Kuniskis was CEO of both the Dodge and Ram brands. He’ll be replaced at Ram by Chris Feuell, who will take on Dodge in addition to her duties leading the Chrysler brand.
Matt McAlear will become Dodge brand CEO. He led Dodge sales and has broad automotive experience, the company said in a statement.