U.S. salaried workers may face layoffs as Stellantis announces broad buyout offers.

• Stellantis is planning to reduce its U.S. employee headcount through a voluntary buyout in an effort to cut costs and increase profits.
• If the buyout program does not have enough participants, the company may have to resort to involuntary terminations, as they reported disappointing first-half results last week.
• The company announced a voluntary separation program for non-union U.S. employees at the vice president level "and below in certain functions" in an email to employees Tuesday morning.

The company announced a voluntary separation program for non-union U.S. employees at the vice president level "and below in certain functions" in an email to employees Tuesday morning.

If not enough employees participate in the buyout program, the company may have to resort to involuntary terminations. Eligible employees will receive an email in mid-August with instructions on how to access their individualized offers.

Early Tuesday afternoon, Automotive News reported that Stellantis had confirmed the buyout program.

Stellantis is committed to addressing inflationary pressures and providing affordable vehicles of the highest quality to consumers, while taking actions to reduce costs to ensure the long-term sustainability of the company, the company stated in an email.

Since the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Groupe in January 2021, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has been focused on reducing costs as part of his "Dare Forward 2030" plan to boost profits and double revenue to 300 billion euros by 2030.

Earlier headcount reductions and reshaping the company's supply chain and operations have been implemented as cost-saving measures.

Our Dare Forward 2030 strategy requires us to adapt by streamlining operations and finding efficiencies to maintain our competitiveness and secure our future sustainability and growth, as stated in the email on Tuesday, which was confirmed by CNBC.

Several Stellantis executives previously described the earlier cuts to CNBC as grueling to the point of excessiveness, while others, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to potential repercussions, described them as difficult but effective.

Tavares stated that using a scapegoat, such as blaming the budget cut, is an easy option when you fail to deliver for any reason, but it is ultimately wrong.

Between December 2019 and the end of 2023, Stellantis reduced its headcount by 15.5%, or approximately 47,500 employees, according to public filings. This year, the company has announced additional job cuts that will affect thousands of plant workers in the U.S. and Italy. These cuts have sparked criticism from unions in both countries.

In November, Stellantis conducted a voluntary buyout program for approximately half of its U.S. white-collar employees.