The Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram retailers watched pricey and older cars pile up on their lots this year, and felt Carlos Tavares wasn't listening.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares abruptly announced his resignation on Sunday after leading the car giant for four years. Its board is already looking for his permanent replacement.

The departure of Carlos Tavares from the automotive giant he helped create follows his inability to move on from previously successful strategies when faced with new, shifting challenges.

The carmaker said it hopes to conclude a hunt for Tavares’ replacement by the first half of 2025. In the meantime, John Elkann, Stellantis chairman and CEO of its largest shareholder Exor, will lead a new interim executive committee.

Carlos Tavares has resigned as Stellantis CEO after nearly four years, amid plunging electric vehicle sales and rising competition from Chinese car makers. His departure highlights the mounting challenges for legacy carmakers in the EV transition.

Until a new CEO is hired, the company will be led by an interim executive committee chaired by John Elkann. Elkann, the great-great-grandson of Fiat founder Giovanni Agnelli, is Stellantis's chairman and the CEO of the automaker's largest shareholder, the Agnelli family investment vehicle Exor NV.

Stellantis has been under major scrutiny over the past year due to its extremely poor sales performances, with many of its brands, including its most popular ones, suffering from ailing sales. They were so bad,

The problem at carmaker Stellantis NV is “more about its ownership” rather than former Chief Executive Officer Carlos Tavares, according to Italian Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini.

Shares in the maker of Chryslers and Jeeps slid in Europe after Chief Executive Carlos Tavares stepped down with immediate effect. Find out more: