Former CEO Tavares personally killed Hemi V8, Stellantis

Portugal-born former CEO reportedly ignored pleas from other executives to continue making V8

Carlos Tavares resigned as CEO of Stellantis last week, and investors will remember him as the man responsible for the automaker’s declining profitability and dealers as the man who made too many of inventory and uncompetitive suggested retail prices. But according to insiders, Tavares’ legacy also includes personally killing off the legendary Hemi V8 in the face of huge internal and external opposition.

“Everyone wants to keep (the Hemi),” an unnamed Stellantis executive told CNBC. “But the question is ‘You need to be more environmentally friendly.'”

Related: How Would You Save Strantis?

Although the Hemi is still available as a crate engine and can currently be ordered in models such as the Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Durango (soon to be discontinued), and large trucks, it has been removed from the Stellantis passenger vehicle lineup in favor of the Hurricane inline-six . The new Dodge Charger is designed to be available only with Hurricane and EV powertrains, and there are currently no proposals to redesign it (at a reasonable cost) to use the beloved V8 engine.

CNBC sources also accuse the Portuguese former PSA CEO of focusing on short-term cost-cutting, a stance that led to mismanagement of the company’s product lineup and its programs, suppliers, unions and dealers.

An insider said Tavares acted like he knew everything and didn’t listen to advice. Another accused him of blaming U.S. executives for the company’s problems rather than coming to terms with his own failures.

“If you don’t understand the market and you don’t understand the customers, you can’t make the right decisions,” the source told CNBC on condition of anonymity.

Tavares earned nearly $40 million in salary, stock and other options last year, but it was unclear how much Strantis paid him to clear his desk earlier this month. The company is currently run by a 10-person committee led by John Elkann, who decides who should be next in line for the hot seat. Tim Kuniskis, who largely contributed to establishing the Hemi and Dodge into cultural muscle icons, retired in May but was lured back as RAM CEO.

Do you think Stellantis will be able to redesign its passenger cars to replace the Hemi, or should we move on? Who would you hire as CEO to turn around Stellantis’ fortunes?