Despite the carmaker’s dire problems in the United States, CEO Carlos Tavares alternated between defiance and contrition about his turnaround plans on Monday in a packed schedule of public events at the Paris auto show.

Tavares, who inherited the company after its 2021 merger of France’s PSA Peugeot Citroen and Italy’s Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, needs clarification about whether he has the right skills to manage a global automaker with many brands and diverse operations.

On a plant visit, Tavares told French radio RTL that he had not considered firing staff and would see out his mandate to the end. However, he insisted that the current headwinds “in no way put my strategy in question.”

During a later trip to the United States to develop a plan for Stellantis’s struggling North American division, Tavares made a significant admission. He acknowledged that the company was struggling to cope with sluggish demand in the country. He also revealed that the company’s pricing decisions led to inflated prices, and its slow response to more competitive discounting strategies resulted in a glut of inventory that is keeping its vehicles from selling. This admission underscored the severity of the challenges the company is facing.

He promised investors an update on the North American business by the end of the year. However, the damage has been done, and the stock has lost 45% of its value this year.

Amid the crisis, Tavares also faced questions about whether he had the right mix of skills to run the company, which was struggling in many markets and facing pressure from investors for lower costs. He pledged to keep working hard to find a solution, demonstrating his unwavering determination, while acknowledging that he could be forced to divest some of the company’s brands if needed.

Sluggish pickup and SUV sales have hit the company in the United States and cuts to government electric vehicle subsidies in Europe, where it is trying to sell more EVs. The company’s struggle to meet European Union carbon emissions reduction targets is a cause for concern, as it faces stiff competition from Chinese rivals.

The company’s problems in the United States have drawn particular criticism from lawmakers and industry analysts. They say the company has yet to learn lessons from downturns in past decades and was too quick to cut production after the 2008 financial crisis. The economy’s slow recovery, dampening SUV and pickup truck sales, further exacerbated the situation. The company has slashed its profit forecast and warned of a negative cash flow this year. It is battling a labor dispute with the UAW union and has made some staff redundant. It is also preparing to take on new cost-cutting initiatives in its U.S. plants. These factors combined paint a grim picture of the company’s struggles in the United States.