Stellantis still eyes production return to Brampton plant

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Stellantis and the Canadian government are still working on a plan to bring production back to the idled Brampton plant, according to the automaker.

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On Thursday, the company’s chief executive officer said it is looking for a “sustainable option” for the empty assembly plant after it announced last October that production of the Jeep Compass SUV was shifted to Illinois.

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The move was to shore up the automaker’s $13 billion investment strategy in the U.S. and avoid paying President Donald Trump’s import tariffs on Canadian goods.

“The reality is that we want to build cars in Brampton,” Stellantis Canada CEO Trevor Longley told BNN Bloomberg TV on Thursday at the Canadian International Autoshow in Toronto.

“We’ve been making cars in Canada for 100 years and we want to continue making cars in Canada for the next 100.”

‘Working proactively’

Longley said the company is “working proactively” with the Canadian government and Unifor, the union representing Brampton workers.

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“That means that we find solutions for the tariff situations that have been imposed,” he said.

The CEO said he would like to know more details about the federal government’s plan to keep auto manufacturing in Canada, which includes import credits for building vehicles in the country. Those credits can then be used to import cars manufactured in the U.S. without paying a tariff and can be traded with other companies as well.

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“For many years, it’s been more cost-effective to import cars into Canada than it is to make them here, and obviously we’ve been heavily invested in this country and we want to make sure that we can continue to do that well into the future,” he said.

New shift in Windsor

There was good news for the Canadian auto sector this week as Stellantis announced a new third shift at the Windsor assembly plant.

Set to begin production on Tuesday, the company is adding more than 1,700 workers as it returns to full capacity of nearly 6,000 employees.

“At a time of uncertainty surrounding trade and cross-border policy, this milestone reinforces Windsor’s vital role in North America’s automotive sector,” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkins said in a statement.

“The return of the Stellantis third shift to our community’s largest employer strengthens local families, creates opportunity for skilled trades and production workers, and drives economic activity throughout our region.”

According to Stellantis, the third shift is also staffed by nearly 250 employees who opted to transfer from Brampton.

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