- Stellantis is halting activity at its Brampton, Ontario plant, which is currently being retooled to build the next-gen Jeep Compass
- The automaker says the pause is part of a reassessment of its “product strategy,” and that it still plans to invest in Brampton
- Could these recent changes be tied to Trump’s tariffs—or is it simply a product realignment?
In a move likely to induce whiplash for some Canadians in the automotive sector in Southern Ontario, it is being reported that Stellantis is stopping all activity at the Brampton Assembly Plant, effective immediately. Talking heads at Automotive News say the parent company of brands like Ram and Jeep is taking a pause on plans for the facility, a space which was to have been used to produce the next-gen Jeep Compass.
Early builds, often called pilot vehicles, were originally scheduled to start rolling off the line there about a month ago, but that was pushed back to Q2 2025 during decision-making last year.
“As we navigate today’s dynamic environment, Stellantis continues to reassess its product strategy in North America,” the company said in a statement published by Automotive News. “The company is temporarily pausing work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at the Brampton Assembly Plant. This does not change our previously announced investment plans for Brampton.” The latter exhortation is key, and part of an existing commitment to the place made over a year ago.
How much of this decision is due to the White House trade and tariff talk is unclear. It should be pointed out that Stellantis is also in the throes of majorly rejigging its product road-map after getting rid of Carlos Tavares, the former CEO with a fixation on business decisions that may have worked in his home of continental Europe but that seemed to prove disastrous in North America.
Brampton Assembly Plant and Brampton Satellite Stamping Plant have nearly three-million square feet of floor space on a campus sprawling 269 acres. The place was originally built in 1986, and absorbed into what was then the Chrysler Corporation after it bought American Motors a year later.
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