For more than a century, the name Chrysler has meant something special in American life. It is the brand that helped invent the modern minivan, built legendary muscle cars, survived a government bailout, and outlasted every prediction of its own death. Today, Chrysler still exists — but the company that owns it looks nothing like the Detroit institution that Walter Chrysler founded a hundred years ago. The full ownership story involves a German merger that failed spectacularly, a private equity rescue that nearly ended in disaster, an Italian takeover, a French merger worth billions, and a Dutch-domiciled giant now controlled by an Italian family with roots going back to Fiat and Ferrari.
Here is the complete, verified story of who owns Chrysler in 2026.
What Is Chrysler?
Chrysler is an American brand of automobiles and a division owned by Stellantis North America. The automaker was founded in 1925 by Walter Chrysler from the remains of the Maxwell Motor Company.
Chrysler was for many years the third largest of the “Big Three” automakers in the United States, after General Motors and Ford Motor Company.
Today, Chrysler is no longer an independent company. It is a brand — one of 14 brands inside a massive multinational automotive group. Its current lineup focuses primarily on family vehicles, most notably the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, which remains one of the best-selling minivans in America.
Who Owns Chrysler Right Now in 2026?
The direct answer is clear: Chrysler is owned by Stellantis N.V. — a publicly traded global automotive conglomerate headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol STLA, as well as on Euronext Paris and Borsa Italiana in Milan.
Stellantis N.V. is now the complete owner of Chrysler, holding 100% of the company’s shares. This ownership structure formed in January 2021 when Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) merged with the French PSA Group to create Stellantis.
Within Stellantis, no single person or entity holds a majority controlling stake. Instead, the largest holders are Exor (the Agnelli family holding company), the Peugeot family through Peugeot Invest, and the French state through Bpifrance — together commanding close to 46% of the vote, a powerful but not majority position.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Shareholder | Type | Stake | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stellantis N.V. | Direct Parent Company | 100% of Chrysler brand | Publicly traded on NYSE (STLA), Euronext Paris, Borsa Italiana |
| Exor N.V. (Agnelli/Elkann family) | Largest Anchor Shareholder | ~15.5% of Stellantis | Italian dynasty; John Elkann serves as Executive Chairman of Stellantis |
| Peugeot Invest (Peugeot family) | Second Anchor Shareholder | ~7.7% of Stellantis | French family investment arm; Robert Peugeot serves as Vice Chairman |
| Bpifrance | French State Investor | ~6.2% of Stellantis | Represents French government interests inside Stellantis |
| Vanguard Group | Institutional Investor | Significant STLA stake | Largest passive index fund manager; consistent Stellantis holder |
| BlackRock, Inc. | Institutional Investor | Significant STLA stake | World’s largest asset manager; major STLA shareholder |
| Public Shareholders | Retail Investors | Remaining shares | Anyone can buy STLA stock on the NYSE |
| Antonio Filosa | CEO & Executive Director | No major equity stake | Appointed CEO in May 2025; 25-year company veteran |
The Origin Story: Walter Chrysler and the Maxwell Motor Company
The Chrysler story begins not with a merger or an acquisition but with one man’s determination to build something great out of someone else’s failure.
Chrysler began with Walter Chrysler, who founded the company in 1925 from what remained of the Maxwell Motor Company. Walter had already made a name for himself in the automotive industry before striking out on his own.
Walter Chrysler was a mechanical genius who had previously worked at General Motors, where he rose to become president of Buick. After leaving GM, he was brought in to rescue the failing Willys-Overland and Maxwell Motor companies. When it became clear that Maxwell could not be saved, Chrysler used its assets and engineering to launch an entirely new company under his own name on June 6, 1925.
The early results were extraordinary. By 1928, Chrysler had acquired Dodge Brothers, instantly becoming one of the most powerful automakers in America. The company also launched the Plymouth and DeSoto brands that same year, building a full portfolio designed to compete directly with General Motors across every price segment.
By the 1930s, Chrysler was genuinely challenging GM for the title of America’s largest automaker — a position it held briefly during the decade before GM pulled ahead permanently. For decades, Chrysler remained a proud and profitable member of Detroit’s Big Three, producing some of the most iconic American cars ever built.
The Daimler Disaster: A Merger That Cost Billions
The first major turning point in Chrysler’s modern ownership history came in 1998 — and it was one of the most expensive corporate mistakes in automotive history.
After being acquired by private equity group Cerberus Capital Management in 2007, Chrysler had been losing nearly one billion dollars every month. That, along with a failed merger with Daimler-Benz (now Mercedes-Benz Group) and the decreasing popularity of Chrysler’s cars, led to much speculation about the company’s future.
The Daimler merger — announced with enormous fanfare in 1998 as a “merger of equals” — was in reality a German takeover of an American icon. The cultural and operational clash between the two companies was severe and immediate. Daimler eventually sold 80.1% of Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management in 2007 for just $7.4 billion — a fraction of what it had paid. The deal had destroyed enormous value on both sides.
Under Cerberus, things got even worse. The 2008 financial crisis hit the American auto industry like a wrecking ball, and Chrysler — already bleeding cash — could not survive on its own.
The Government Bailout and the Fiat Rescue
In 2008 and 2009, Chrysler experienced the most dramatic chapter in its history — a bankruptcy, a government rescue, and a surprise partnership with an Italian company most Americans had barely heard of.
Chrysler faced the possibility of bankruptcy, but, along with General Motors, it was bailed out by U.S. President George W. Bush in December 2008. In January 2009, Fiat took a 35% stake in Chrysler. Four months later, Chrysler filed for bankruptcy. The company was restructured in June 2009.
Fiat, led by the charismatic Sergio Marchionne, offered something that money alone could not buy — small car technology, fuel-efficient engines, and international market access that Chrysler desperately needed. The partnership gave Chrysler a path to survival that no purely financial rescue could have provided.
Over the next several years, Fiat steadily increased its stake in Chrysler, eventually acquiring 100% of the company. In 2014, Chrysler officially became a wholly owned subsidiary of Fiat S.p.A., and the combined entity was renamed Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).
The Stellantis Merger: How FCA Met PSA
The final and most transformative chapter in Chrysler’s ownership history happened on January 16, 2021, when one of the largest automotive mergers in history was completed.
Stellantis is a multinational automotive company formed in 2021 by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Group (known legally as Peugeot S.A.). The company has 14 well-known automobile brands, including Dodge, Jeep, and Maserati. Stellantis is headquartered in Amsterdam.
The logic of the merger was straightforward: scale. The global automotive industry was undergoing a massive and expensive transformation toward electric vehicles, and neither FCA nor PSA had the financial firepower to make that transition alone. Together, they formed the fourth-largest automaker in the world by volume — large enough to fund the billions required for EV development, new platforms, and technology partnerships.
Stellantis generated €153.5 billion in net revenues in 2025. The group reported a €22.3 billion net loss for the year, mainly due to non-recurring expenses recognised as a result of its strategic reset announced in February 2026.
The Leadership Crisis and Antonio Filosa
2024 and 2025 were among the most turbulent years in Stellantis’ short history — and the consequences directly affected the Chrysler brand and every other marque in the portfolio.
By 2024, aggressive pricing and cost discipline had damaged sales, inventories, and dealer relationships, especially in North America, and longtime CEO Carlos Tavares departed abruptly amid a collapse in performance.
Antonio Filosa was appointed CEO of the Stellantis group in late May 2025. He is a 25-year veteran of the company who previously served as Chief Operating Officer for the Americas. Under his leadership, Stellantis has initiated a strategic reset — restoring dealer relationships, reducing excessive inventory, and refocusing product development.
Under new CEO Antonio Filosa and Chairman John Elkann, Stellantis is working to repair its brands, restore customer choice, and return to profitable growth after a 2025 that produced a steep loss.
For Chrysler specifically, the reset means renewed focus on the brand’s core strength — family vehicles — with the Pacifica minivan remaining its flagship product and new electrified versions expanding the lineup.
What Other Brands Does Stellantis Own?
Owning Chrysler means being part of one of the most diverse automotive portfolios on earth. The FCA brands sold in the U.S. are now under Stellantis: Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, and Ram. Overseas brands also include Citroën, DS Automobiles, Opel, Peugeot, and Vauxhall.
That is 14 brands in total — from the blue-collar work truck heritage of Ram to the exotic Italian craftsmanship of Maserati. No other automotive group in the world covers quite the same range of cultures, price points, and national identities.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Chrysler in 2026?
Chrysler is fully owned by Stellantis N.V., a global automotive company formed in 2021 from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France’s PSA Group.
Q2. Is Chrysler still an American company?
Chrysler is an American brand but its parent company Stellantis is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and controlled by Italian and French family shareholders.
Q3. Who founded Chrysler and when?
Chrysler was founded by Walter Chrysler on June 6, 1925, built from the assets of the failing Maxwell Motor Company in Detroit, Michigan.
Q4. Did the US government bail out Chrysler?
Yes. Chrysler was bailed out by the U.S. government under President George W. Bush in December 2008, and later filed for bankruptcy in 2009 before being restructured with Fiat as its new partner.
Q5. Who is the CEO of Stellantis in 2026?
Antonio Filosa, a 25-year veteran of the company, serves as CEO of Stellantis since June 2025, succeeding Carlos Tavares who departed abruptly in late 2024.
Q6. Who are the biggest shareholders of Stellantis?
The three largest anchor shareholders are Exor N.V. (Agnelli family, ~15.5%), Peugeot Invest (Peugeot family, ~7.7%), and Bpifrance (French state, ~6.2%).
Q7. What brands does Stellantis own besides Chrysler?
Stellantis owns 13 other brands including Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Vauxhall, and DS Automobiles.
Q8. Is Chrysler publicly traded?
Chrysler itself is not publicly traded — it is a brand owned by Stellantis N.V., which trades on the NYSE under the ticker symbol STLA, on Euronext Paris, and on Borsa Italiana.
Chrysler is owned by Stellantis N.V. — a publicly traded automotive conglomerate headquartered in Amsterdam, trading on the NYSE under STLA. Stellantis was formed in January 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France’s PSA Group. The largest anchor shareholder in Stellantis is Exor N.V. — the holding company of Italy’s Agnelli family — with approximately 15.5% of shares. The Peugeot family holds about 7.7% and the French state through Bpifrance holds approximately 6.2%.
Chrysler was founded in 1925 by Walter Chrysler, survived a failed German merger with Daimler, a private equity disaster under Cerberus, a US government bankruptcy bailout in 2009, and an Italian rescue by Fiat — before ending up inside the world’s fourth-largest automaker. Under new CEO Antonio Filosa, who took charge in May 2025, Stellantis is now rebuilding after a difficult 2025 — and Chrysler is along for the ride.