The merger isn’t yet final, but the betrothed automakers Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Peugeot S.A. (PSA) have announced their married name will be STELLANTIS.
To allay any misunderstanding of new moniker, the companies explained its etymology in a release Wednesday saying “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 values of its constituent parts.”
That means, ostensibly, the brands get to keep their names. As someone who worked at three different iterations of the automaker over the course of 10 years and 11 months, I can tell you with great confidence that from the Chrysler side, holding on to its name and logo is of paramount importance.
I arrived in 2005 while it was still the junior partner in the disaster then known as DaimlerChrysler AG. The logo during that time eliminated Chrysler’s well-known Pentastar. That hurt. A saving grace was the logo was an integral part of the Chrysler headquarters building in suburban Detroit as it formed the shape of a giant window on its top floor. But the Pentastar was nowhere to be seen on company letterhead or sign. This was something that gnawed at longtime Chrysler employees who viewed the Pentastar as a symbol of the company’s legacy.
Things changed in 2007 when the Germans served divorce papers on their American spouse and the company was eventually sold to Cerberus Capital Management, which had no previous experience running a car company. But the upside was the Chrysler name would stand alone as the new Chrysler LLC and the Pentastar restored.
The control was so excited that we were given pens with the inscription “The New Chrysler” and some of us had the chance to score exclusive card games with images of historic Chrysler cars and former executives that resembled the bridge issued by the “Ten Most Wanted Iraqis.” The Second Persian Gulf War.
Such enthusiasm had the potential to be overplayed, which is what happened. Someone had the great idea to blast a giant spotlight through the big Pentastar window across the adjacent I-75 for a few nights to show the world the beloved logo was back. This was bad for two reasons. One, motorists traveling at 70 mph find it hard to see when a strong light beam fries their eyes. Two, the light was so hot, it melted the artificial plants in the atrium where the light was mounted. The plug was quickly pulled on the well-intentioned, but foolhardy stunt.
When the company went bankrupt and was acquired by the Italians at Fiat, there was fear the identity gains of the past two years would be quickly lost. It happened but not so fast. Our side of the new company hung in as Chrysler Group LLC until the two sides fully combined in 2014 and became Fiat Chrysler Automobiles under a logo of blue block letters FCA.
See what’s missing? The Pentastar was once again precious. This caused additional pain in the American aspect of the company and caused a wonderful resolution for my team. Since 2007, we have been generating a weekly video summary of corporate news titled “Under the Pentastar”. Now we were under the chimney to locate something new. We opted for “FCA Replay” and this film is still produced to this day through the glorious team I left when I retired from the company in 2016.
I have no idea what they’re going to do with STELLANTIS. Maybe rename it “Under the Stars”? Now, if they had only inserted the logo that helps keep receiving the company’s new name, everyone would have been blown away. After all, what is the challenge with PENTA-STELLANTIS, which, more or less translated, can be Pentastar.
Author’s note: I worked as virtual communications manager for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles versions from August 2005 to July 2016.
I’ve covered the car since 1989, first as HEAD of CNN’s Detroit office, then as national editor of the Associated Press, General Motors beat the screenwriter.
I’ve covered the auto industry since 1989, first as head of CNN’s Detroit office, then as national editor of the Associated Press, General Motors beat the editor of Detroit News and the automotive news reporter. I also created the virtual communications team of Fiat Chrysler, pioneer in the concept of “corporate journalism” where corporations tell their own stories through social networks, videos and web broadcasts. We used those strategies to explain to the American public why Chrysler Group LLC was rescuing value. My first interview as an auto editor was with the Ford figure who was about to retire. He said, “Get ready, sit down, ask smart questions, then close up, pay attention, and write the truth. Good advice. I use it.