Stellantis assigns new EV platform output to Windsor, Ont., plant

Stellantis said on Friday it will assign production of its new "STLA Large platform" to its assembly plant in Windsor, Ont., instead of its Brampton, Ont., factory, which is currently home to the L-series platform.

Windsor Assembly Plant currently builds the automaker's minivans; the Chrysler Pacifica, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, Chrysler Grand Caravan for the Canadian market and the Chrysler Voyager for fleets in the United States.

Retooling of the Windsor plant is slated to begin in 2023. The company says the site will have the "flexibility to adjust production volumes as needed to meet changing market demand over the next decade."

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The aging Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger are currently built on the L-series at Brampton Assembly Plant, just southwest of Toronto. Assembly of the trio of cars will end when retooling of that facility begins in 2024. A product announcement for Brampton will be made at a later date.

According to Stellantis, the STLA Large platform will consist of unibody vehicles with an electric range of up to 800 kilometres. The STLA-Frame platform will consist of body-on-frame vehicles, such as trucks.

Chrysler said the electric Airflow crossover concept it debuted this year will reside on the STLA Large platform. U.S.-based auto analysis firm AutoForecast Solutions predicts that the next Dodge Challenger and Charger muscle cars will be housed on the platform.

Workers at the Windsor plant have had to contend with frequent downtime and layoffs.

“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, Stellantis North America COO, 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.”

Stellantis said the moves are part of the company's $3.6-billion investment to support its Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan and its long-term electrification strategy to invest $45 billion through 2025 in electrification and software globally.