In win for UAW, Stellantis will build new Dodge Durango in Detroit, midsize truck in Belvidere

Source: Detroit Free Press

In win for UAW, Stellantis will build new Dodge Durango in Detroit, midsize truck in Belvidere

Eric D. Lawrence
Detroit Free Press
Published 11:14 a.m. ET Jan. 22, 2025 | Updated 1:53 p.m. ET Jan. 22, 2025

In a dramatic turnabout that defuses months of wrangling with the UAW, Stellantis says it will restart its idled Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois and build the next-generation Dodge Durango in Detroit. ... The news, announced in a letter Wednesday to employees from North America Chief Operating Officer Antonio Filosa, also provided some good news to workers in Toledo, Ohio, and Kokomo, Indiana, where investments are planned. The Belvidere plant will start production of a new midsize truck in the next two years.

The letter said company Chairman John Elkann had met last week with President Donald Trump before his inauguration on Monday. Elkann shared "our enthusiasm for his strong commitment to the United States auto industry and all that this means for American jobs and the broader economy." Reuters reported that Elkann met with Trump twice, but did not attend the inauguration. ... Elkann said Stellantis planned to continue the company's long history in the United States "by further strengthening our U.S. manufacturing footprint and providing stability for our great American workforce," according to the letter.

The announcements on Belvidere and the Detroit Assembly Complex offer a significant shift in the narrative around Stellantis in the United States, which has seen significant job cuts over the last year. The UAW had threatened a potential national strike over what the union contended was the company's backtracking on product commitments.

The fate of the idled Belvidere Assembly Plant was a major issue during 2023 contract talks, and the company later said it would delay a planned restart there. The announcement said 1,500 UAW-represented workers would return to Belvidere.

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Read more: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/chrysler/2025/01/22/stellantis-belvidere-detroit-plant-new-midsize-truck-dodge-durango/77876749007/