Carlos Tavares, who abruptly resigned as CEO of Stellantis on December 1, said in an interview published yesterday in the Portuguese newspaper Expresso that his 'amicable' exit was caused by disagreements with the board over strategy.

The manager did not go into details about his disagreements with the automaker's board, but said the decision to leave the company was made jointly by him and chairman John Elkann.

Sources close to the situation told Reuters that the sudden resignation was prompted by targets set by Tavares, which were deemed unrealistic or harmful by some board members.

Tavares told the newspaper that the main concern was to "protect the company so that a difference in views would not create the risk of creating an imbalance within it."

"A company that has 250,000 employees, revenues of 190 billion euros, 15 brands sold worldwide, cannot be run with a lack of alignment, which has an immediate impact on strategic management," he explained.

Asked if he felt affected by the outcome, he said, "no, not at all," adding that he would have acted the same way even if he could have gone back.

The approach of Tavares, who is considered one of the most respected executives in the automotive industry, was questioned after a slump in U.S. sales led the group in September to issue a profit warning on its 2024 results.

In the interview, the first given after his resignation, Tavares described the current moment in the auto industry as the beginning of a 'Darwinian' period.

"When you face a storm, you have to steer the boat according to the waves. You can't argue about the best way to deal with them."

(Translated by Laura Contemori, editing Sabina Suzzi)