Chrysler maker Stellantis NV said on Friday it will build vehicles based off its new electric STLA Large platform at its Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario after the automaker retools the plant starting next year.
The automaker came short of announcing exactly which products it will assemble at the facility currently producing the Chrysler Pacifica minivan as part of a $2.8 billion investment announced last month in Canada that also includes a new battery lab in Windsor and new product for Brampton Assembly Plant outside of Toronto.
Production of the L Series vehicles, which were last redesigned more than a decade ago, at Brampton — the Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger — will end when retooling begins in 2024. The company said it will share which models will succeed them at a later date.
Chrysler is revamping and expanding its lineup with SUVs, and Dodge will reimagine muscle cars as electric vehicles, though industry forecasters are expecting Stellantis to build them at its plant in Belvidere, Illinois, where it currently makes the Jeep Cherokee.
"There has been a lot of speculation, and while we're not prepared to discuss any product details today, we're happy to confirm that Windsor will produce vehicles on our new STLA Large platform," Mark Stewart, chief operating officer of Stellantis in North America, said in a statement. "These announcements represent key pieces of our Dare Forward strategy to provide safe, clean and affordable mobility solutions for our customers long into the future."
The automaker is investing $35.5 billion globally into electrification and software by 2025. It expects to have 25 all-electric models in the United States by 2030 that make up half of its sales.
The Auburn Hills-developed STLA Large platform is an all-electric unibody foundation that Stellantis says will offer 500 miles of range. Chrysler's concept Airflow SUV was built on the platform.
Stellantis says the updates to Windsor and Brampton will return the plants to three shifts, though it didn't specify how many jobs the investment would add. The automaker has said it will cut Windsor's second shift at the end of the year. Brampton runs on two shifts.
After the updates — it's unclear when they will be completed — Windsor will have flexibility to adjust production volumes in response to market demand over the next decade, according to the company. Production at Brampton will resume in 2025 also with a new architecture that will be flexible based on the company's electrification plans.
