Stellantis is closing three of its nine U.S. business centers that provide support for its dealer network, the automaker confirmed in an email to Automotive Dive.
The restructuring is part of an updated business strategy to find ways to better support its dealer network. Although the move is not intended to reduce employee headcount, according to Stellantis, Automotive News reported that the company laid off 30 employees as a result.
Stellantis’ strategy keeps the “dealer and the customer at the center of our business model,” the company told Automotive Dive.
“This strategic move will empower the team to enhance dealer coverage, strengthen partnerships and respond more effectively to dealer inquiries while addressing their needs across sales, service, and training as we begin our BEV product offensive,” the company said.
In February, Stellantis announced updates to corporate sales structure in North America and named Jason Stoicevich as senior vice president for retail sales. He will also lead the automaker’s sales planning and incentives, including retail promotions and dealer relations.
Despite claiming that the business restructures are not intended to further reduce employee headcount, the automaker made significant cuts to its workforce over the last year.
In April 2023, Reuters reported that Stellantis offered 33,500 U.S. employees voluntary exit packages to cut costs and streamline operations. Last November, Stellantis offered buyouts to 6,400 of its 12,700 salaried employees after the automaker struck a new labor agreement with the United Auto Workers union.
More recently, Stellantis announced it was laying off 2% of its salaried workforce across its engineering, software and technology organizations in the U.S., which impacted roughly 400 employees. Stellantis said the job cuts aimed to improve efficiency and optimize its cost structure.
