Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis Will Now Lead Ram Truck Brand, Too
The executive that’s taking Dodge into the electric era will now be responsible for doing the same with Ram.
Tim Kuniskis, the enthusiastic chief executive officer of Dodge who loves muscle cars and pyrotechnics, is now the new Ram Trucks CEO. He won't be giving up his spot at Dodge; instead, he'll run both brands as Stellantis announced Wednesday morning. Now-former Ram CEO Mike Koval is moving over to Mopar as its new North American boss in a significant corporate shift.
Kuniskis is one of the industry's more visible CEOs, especially to enthusiasts. His involvement in recent projects like the Challenger Demon 170 and Charger Daytona EV Concept has put Dodge front and center—at least domestically—as performance cars shift from internal combustion engines to battery power. Stellantis sees Kuniskis' "rich understanding" of the North American market as a key for the future of its dedicated pickup and work vehicle brand.
Koval has headed up a handful of big projects lately as well. The Ram 1500 Revolution Concept was created under his purview, and he's responsible for leading the company in its development of the Ram 1500 REV production model thus far. It'll be interesting to see where Kuniskis takes the truck manufacturer as it's been notoriously cautious of switching to complete electrification.
While executive changes don't always matter to everyday people, this one feels relevant for anyone interested in the direction that trucks go next. Ram has been perfectly happy to let Ford and General Motors rush their electric pickups to market. Heck, Ram's Super Bowl ads were like pharmaceutical commercials that called out "premature electrification." Kuniskis is a self-proclaimed fan of gas engines and his stance on EVs seemingly jives with the rest of Stellantis' leadership without being completely against new powertrain tech.
Don't expect any major product changes just yet, but it's certainly something to keep an eye on.
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