STLA vs VWAGY: How Stellantis and Volkswagen AG Compare (2026)
Last updated August 2026
Short answer
VWAGY is the larger of the two ($43.76B market cap): the incumbent the market prices for continued execution (0.38x forward earnings, beta 0.99). STLA is the smaller challenger ($21.70B), actually pricier on forward earnings (4.12x): more room to run, but more to prove. The real question is which set of drivers you believe, and whether owning one (or both) leaves you over-concentrated.
STLA vs VWAGY: the tie-breaker metrics
Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.
| Metric | STLA | VWAGY | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $21.70B | $43.76B | Size. The larger name is the incumbent; the smaller has more room to grow and more to prove. |
| Forward P/E | 4.12 | 0.38 | Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up. |
| Beta | 0.99 | 0.99 | Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through. |
| Price vs 52-week range | 7% of range | 14% of range | Where today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why. |
| Price / book | 0.26 | 0.22 | How much you pay over book value. Very high can signal an asset-light, high-return business or a rich price. |
Reading it: VWAGY is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.
Before you buy: how STLA and VWAGY affect your concentration
The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. STLA and VWAGY share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.
This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined STLA and VWAGY exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.
What does Stellantis (STLA) do?
Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automaker created in 2021 from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France's PSA Group. It sells vehicles worldwide under roughly a dozen and a half brands, including the profitable US trio of Jeep, Ram, and Dodge, plus Chrysler, Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, Opel, Vauxhall, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and others. It is one of the largest carmakers in the world by volume and lists in the US, Milan, and Paris. After a strong early run on high North American profits, the company hit a rough patch marked by falling US sales, bloated inventory, strained dealer and supplier relationships, and a costly, aggressive electric-vehicle strategy.
What does Volkswagen AG (VWAGY) do?
Volkswagen AG is the largest carmaker in Europe and, by revenue, one of the largest industrial companies in the world, with sales of roughly EUR 321.9B in 2025. The group is really a federation of ten vehicle brands rather than a single manufacturer: Volkswagen passenger cars, Audi, Porsche, Skoda, Seat and Cupra, Bentley, Lamborghini, Ducati, Scout, and the Traton commercial vehicle business, alongside a large financial services arm that finances and leases those vehicles. Revenue is reported in euros because Volkswagen is a German company listed in Frankfurt, and its US-traded ADR is a wrapper around that German listing rather than a US listing in its own right. The Porsche Automobil Holding SE family vehicle controls about 53.3% of Volkswagen's voting rights and the state of Lower Saxony holds around 20%, which means the ordinary shares that VWAGY tracks carry votes that are, in practice, already spoken for.
STLA vs VWAGY: how do they differ?
Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.
- STLA drivers: Turnaround under a new CEO; Low valuation and capital returns.
- VWAGY drivers: The cost reset, which is now the whole equity story; Cash generation and a balance sheet that buys time.
Which fits which kind of investor
A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: The dominant risk is cyclicality: automakers' profits swing sharply with the economy, consumer confidence, and interest rates, so a downturn can quickly hurt sales and earnings. For VWAGY, the near-term risk is that the restructuring runs slower than the margin compression: a 3.8% first half operating margin sits at the bottom of the 4% to 5.5% full year target, and Volkswagen's own CFO described the roughly 4% level as a wake-up call.
STLA or VWAGY: which should you pick?
Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick STLA if you believe its drivers more; VWAGY if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the STLA and VWAGY guides.
STLA vs VWAGY: the full fundamentals
STLA. Figures are approximate and tied to the asOf date; verify live numbers before acting. Automakers like Stellantis typically trade at low multiples because their earnings are cyclical and capital-intensive, so a cheap-looking valuation can reflect real risk rather than a bargain. The turnaround has shown early progress, but the stock's re-rating depends on sustained execution across North America, pricing, and EV strategy, not a single strong quarter.
VWAGY. The two most common mistakes with Volkswagen numbers are currency and scale. Revenue of roughly EUR 321.9B is in euros, so quoting it with a dollar sign is wrong by the exchange rate, and it is a revenue figure roughly eight times the company's own market value, which is what a single-digit multiple on a low-margin, high-turnover manufacturer looks like. The valuation is genuinely cheap on trailing earnings, but trailing earnings already fell about 38% in 2025 and first half 2026 operating profit fell a further 12%, so the multiple is being applied to a declining base rather than a stable one.
Headline figures (approximate, Jul 2026): STLA shows business model Global automaker with roughly a dozen and a half brands including Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, and Opel, recent results Q1 2026 sales up about 6% with a positive earnings beat; Q2 2026 shipments up roughly 10% year over year, turnaround New CEO Antonio Filosa calls 2026 the "year of execution," prioritizing US brands and affordable models, ev strategy Unwinding predecessor's aggressive all-electric plans, including a large charge tied to the change; VWAGY shows revenue (fy2025) ~EUR 321.9B (roughly $367B converted at recent rates; Volkswagen reports in euros), net earnings (fy2025) ~EUR 6.67B, down ~38% year over year, h1 2026 operating profit ~EUR 5.9B, down ~12%, on a ~3.8% operating margin, p/e ratio ~7.3 on the German ordinary line, one of the lowest in the global auto sector.
The bottom line: STLA vs VWAGY
STLA and VWAGY are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined STLA and VWAGY exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.
Wondering how STLA or VWAGY fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.
Investing in Stellantis with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how STLA fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
What is the difference between STLA and VWAGY?
+
Stellantis N.V. Volkswagen AG is the largest carmaker in Europe and, by revenue, one of the largest industrial companies in the world, with sales of roughly EUR 321.9B in 2025. They show up together because they share investment themes, but they are different businesses, so the better fit depends on which thesis you are expressing.
Is STLA or VWAGY the better stock?
+
Neither is universally better. VWAGY is the larger incumbent; STLA is the smaller challenger and looks pricier on forward earnings. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.
Which is cheaper, STLA or VWAGY?
+
On forward P/E (as of August 2026), STLA trades at 4.12x and VWAGY at 0.38x, so VWAGY is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.
Should you own both STLA and VWAGY?
+
Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.
What are the risks of STLA vs VWAGY?
+
STLA: The dominant risk is cyclicality: automakers' profits swing sharply with the economy, consumer confidence, and interest rates, so a downturn can quickly hurt sales and earnings. Stellantis is mid-turnaround, so execution risk is high; its recovery depends on fixing North American overcapacity, rebuilding dealer and supplier trust, and getting pricing and inventory right, none of which is guaranteed. Tariffs and trade policy are a real threat given its cross-border manufacturing, adding cost and pricing uncertainty. The EV transition cuts both ways: Stellantis took a large charge unwinding aggressive EV plans, and it must still invest to remain competitive as regulations and demand shift, risking either stranded investment or falling behind. Intense competition from global rivals and lower-cost Chinese automakers pressures share and margins. Leadership transitions and strategy shifts add uncertainty, and as a foreign-listed stock, US holders face currency effects. The low valuation reflects these genuine risks, not just pessimism. VWAGY: The near-term risk is that the restructuring runs slower than the margin compression: a 3.8% first half operating margin sits at the bottom of the 4% to 5.5% full year target, and Volkswagen's own CFO described the roughly 4% level as a wake-up call. Labor agreements in Germany make job reductions slow and expensive, so the announced 100,000 figure is a multi-year path rather than a lever management can pull at will. China is the largest structural risk: local electric vehicle makers have compressed both share and price in the group's most profitable historical market, and there is no obvious mechanism for Volkswagen to reclaim that position. US tariffs on European-built vehicles hit Audi and Porsche hardest, and localizing production is a multi-year capital commitment made against an uncertain policy backdrop. Layered on top are ADR-specific risks that have nothing to do with the business: the depositary receipt is unsponsored, trades on OTC markets with wider spreads and thinner volume than a listed US stock, and its US dollar value moves with the euro exchange rate as well as the share price.
Related comparisons
Browse all stock comparisons.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell STLA or VWAGY; figures are approximate and dated (as of August 2026). Verify current data before investing.