Stellantis Is Spamming Owners' Screens with Pop-Up Ads for New Car Discounts

Summary

The biggest car news and reviews, no BS Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter directly to you, every weekday. The internet is raging right now over Stellantis pushing marketing pop-ups to owners’ in-car screens. It’s obnoxious, to be sure, and it’s legit—we have confirmation from a Jeep driver as well as Stellantis itself. But this isn’t even the first time it’s happened, as we reported in February about Jeep advertising extended warranties in the same way. Auto writer and all-around car guy Zerin Dube posted earlier this week about his WL Grand Cherokee’s “marketing notification” on X. The photo started popping off, and before long, others were sharing the same ad that was sent to their screens. Dube labeled it as “late stage capitalism,” which feels like an accurate descriptor. Funny enough, Dube was in the market for a new Wrangler anyhow, and he took advantage of the $1,500 loyalty offer Jeep sent straight to his Grand Cherokee. He drove off the lot Thursday night in a new Rubicon X, so I guess you can say it worked. Others online were less accepting of the ploy. Practically every repost of Dube’s photo decried Jeep and Stellantis at large, with some Ram and Chrysler drivers corroborating the ad’s rollout that spread across multiple brands. Most of the comments said something along the lines of, “Guess what I’m never buying.” Some made the informed prediction that this type of promotion will become commonplace in the industry before long. For its part, Stellantis told The Drive that it sends out these notifications to “stay in contact with our owners at critical points in their ownership.” The in-vehicle message system is also used to notify drivers of vehicle recalls and health monitor alerts. A spokesperson for the brand said: “Recently, a select group of owners received a special marketing notification in their vehicle, and we tailored this special offer to minimize any intrusions: The simple text message offering a $1,500 bonus incen...