Eligible Jeep workers can expect a 72% reduction in their profit-sharing check for 2024’s fiscal performance. The estimated payout, to be issued next week, is $3,780. Last year’s payout for 2023 was $13,860.

Ohio United Auto Works Local 12 president Bruce Baumhower says that Carlos Tavares, the former Stellantis CEO who left the company in December, created part of the problem.

Baumhower cites the executive raising model prices beyond what many Americans felt they could afford. “At some point, the consumer says, ‘no thank you’ and that’s kind of what happened,” WTOL quoted him explaining.

Jeep models’ relatively high sticker prices and the debuting Dodge Hornet’s “lot rot”

The average U.S. market vehicle went from a dealership lot to a buyer’s driveway in about 90 days. The Hornet sat an average of 428 days…over a year.

In fact, Chrysler, Ram, Jeep, and Dodge lineups all experienced overall higher lot sitting than the U.S. average: 109 days, on average.

As of January 2025, the average price of a new car hovers ever closer to $50,000. Five years ago, the average price was near $40K. While the 2025 Jeep Wrangler base model, a two-door, starts at around $33K, some of Jeep’s higher Wrangler trims and other model offerings cross the $100K mark. Considering many families find the two-door Wrangler impractical for suburban use, Jeep’s larger, more comfortable family-hauling SUVs are quite spendy. The 2024 Wagoneer starts at $63,000 and flies up to $116,190 for the top-trim Grand Wagooner, the Series III Obsidian.

Since Jeep also tends to score below average on reliability ratings, buyers seem to be looking elsewhere for new vehicles…or just keeping their current car. The average age of a passenger car or truck on U.S. roads is now 12.6, the highest average age ever reported.

U.S. drivers often cite the expense of buying, insuring, and maintaining their modern vehicles.

Moreover, financial experts say they worry about the number of auto loans with monthly payments exceeding $1,000. Combined with the percentage of U.S. vehicle loans that are 90 days or more delinquent. It’s 4.83%, higher than the average long-term delinquent rate of 3.52%, per YCharts.

The combo of MSRPs and lack of consumer interest in Stellantis offerings handed the automaker a 25% hit to its North American sales in 2024.

Rumor has it that the worrying 70% slash in year-over-year profit and lack of a replacement CEO has Stellantis considering selling off Maserati. The luxury brand reported a near-60% profit loss. The automaker says it will continue to focus on electrification.