Dodge, Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis, who drove horsepower push, retires

The brand's chief exec, 57, had been with Stellantis and its predecessors for 32 years, working his way from the bottom to the top

Nicholas Maronese

Published May 17, 2024 • Last updated May 17, 2024 • 2 minute read

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Tim Kuniskis, the CEO Dodge, on stage with the Dodge Challenger Demon in 2021 Photo by Stellantis

The CEO of Stellantis’ Dodge and Ram brands, Tim Kuniskis, is retiring after 32 years with the automaker, leaving behind a legacy of some of Dodge’s most powerful vehicles—as well as its monumental pivot to electric muscle cars. Headlines across the Internet variously refer to Kuniskis, 57, as the “muscle car godfather,” or “the unofficial spokesman for the American muscle car.”

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That’s because in his tenure as the head of Dodge, he was responsible for, among other cars, models like the Dodge Challenger Demon 170, a 1,025-horsepower V8-driven coupe that laughed at fuel economy numbers in the pursuit of straight-line acceleration.

The Demon 170 was the culmination of a years-long shift at Dodge, from being the manufacturer of volume sedans and minivans to the purveyor of high-output muscle machines that traded on heritage. Kuniskis is the man largely responsible for that shift, which he began when he first took on the role of Dodge CEO in 2013 (he was briefly shuffled through leadership roles at Maserati, Alfa Romeo, and Jeep before returning to head up Dodge in January 2021).

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Most recently, he oversaw the brand’s move into its first electrified products, specifically the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV. His departure from Dodge on June 1 means he’ll have left the company before the first examples land in customer hands this fall. Besides leading Dodge, Kuniskis took over at Ram in July 2023, and also directed the launch of that brand’s first electrified truck, the Ram 1500 REV.

Kuniskis started from the bottom at Stellantis, beginning in 1992 as a trainee at what was then DaimlerChrysler, in Syracuse, New York, near his hometown of Rochester. He worked his way up through sales and managerial roles until he became director of Chrysler marketing in 2009; and then head of Fiat in 2011.

He will be replaced by Matt McAlear, currently one of Dodge’s sales executives; while Christine Feuell, the CEO of Chrysler brand, will take on the responsibilities of running Ram as well.

Nicholas Maronese

Nicholas has been part of the Driving.ca team since 2018, and writes specifically about classic cars – like his first and currently only car, his 1971 Plymouth Valiant Scamp – whenever possible, though he also enjoys exploring vehicular history, automotive design, and car culture. His specific areas of focus include American cars of the 1930s, ’60s, and ’70s.

Summary

Driving.ca News and Features editor; and a Driving.ca contributor since 2018 Professional writer and editor for over 10 years, seeing publication in some of the most widely read outlets in Canada and the U.S. Specialties include classic-car profiles, automotive history, and stories exploring obscure Canadian car culture

Education

Nicholas graduated from York University with a Bachelor’s in Professional Writing, and a minor in Philosophy. He also holds a Canadian Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL); and has been training to be a concours judge.

Experience

Nicholas started out writing news for Sympatico Autos (later renamed Autofocus) before eventually becoming that website’s chief editor. In 2018, he joined Driving.ca, and was not long after made the News and Features Editor. Nicholas has also contributed to the Toronto Star’s Wheels section; to Hagerty’s editorial efforts; and to an assortment of other publications. Nicholas has owned and maintained a 1971 Plymouth Valiant Scamp since 2012; and previously tinkered on a 1929 Ford Model A. He is a regular volunteer with the Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Owen Sound, Ontario; and a frequent participant in Classic Car Adventures’ Maple Mille event in southern Ontario.

Major works by the author

Nicholas loves exploring overlooked corners of Canadian car culture. For Sympatico Autos, he put together a deep-dive look at General Motors’ disastrous introduction of its European Firenza to the Canadian market; drafted an authoritative history of the built-in-Canada MCV CH4 supercar; and arranged the first wind-tunnel test of a 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona “aero warrior” available online. For Driving.ca, he’s profiled Chris Hadfield’s passion for first-generation Ford Thunderbirds; proven that pre-war cars, excepting the Chrysler Airflow, were more aerodynamic backwards than forwards; and unearthed the story of the Ferguson Super Sport, a one-off roadster built in Toronto in the 1960s.

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