Look, FCA wasn’t a great name in the first place and took some getting used to, but at least it was easy to say. Adding PSA to that—so, FCA-PSA—would be too much alphabet soup, though, and the firms have too many large brands to smoothly integrate into the corporate name, and doing so may have caused the “kids” to fight over which ones the parents love most. The combined company will cover FCA’s Chrysler, Dodge, Maserati, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Jeep, and Ram brands, and Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel, and Vauxhall from the PSA side.
“Stellantis is rooted in the Latin verb stello meaning ‘to brighten with stars.’ It draws inspiration from this new and ambitious alignment of storied automotive brands and strong company cultures that in coming together are creating one of the new leaders in the next era of mobility while at the same time preserving all the exceptional value and the value of its constituent parts. Stellantis will combine the scale of a truly global business with an exceptional breadth and depth of talent, know-how, and resource capable of providing the sustainable mobility solutions for the coming decades. The name’s Latin origins pay tribute to the rich history of its founding companies while the evocation of astronomy captures the true spirit of optimism, energy, and renewal driving this industry-changing merger.” That is the official statement from FCA describing the choice, and we feel more confused having read it.
We knew a new name—and logo—was coming (the companies began examining possibilities as soon as the merger agreement was official), and we didn’t expect Chrysler or Fiat would again be applied—in fact, these are the brands we think have the greatest odds of being phased out altogether. But we didn’t think it would be this…weird. The announcement led to an insane flurry of jokes in one of the MotorTrend Slack channels, including references to knockoff space shuttles, home-bagged juicing machines, how Stellantis is both the official earth-side transport company and official aspartame of Space Force, and how it sounds like a dollar-store skin medication requiring a long list of side-effect disclaimers. (“Ask your doctor if Stellantis is right for you. Side effects may include shedding of redundant car brands, an ever-worsening case of crossoveritus for your Jeeps, and an irrational desire to install 700-plus-hp V-8s in most of your aging lineup. Oh, and now you’re French. “) At least the logo looks rather normal, though.
FCA and PSA announced plans to merge in December 2019, and the deal to create the fourth-largest automaker by volume is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2021.
Update: This article, originally published on July 15, 2020, has been updated to include the Stellantis logo.
