Stellantis Considers Building Its New Electric Chrysler at Idled Canadian Plant

Rumors suggest the manufacturer could build a new electric Chrysler crossover model at this plant. This news comes after a high-volume model, the Jeep Compass, was pulled and sent to a US plant.

The laid-off workers in Brampton had been waiting for the Jeep Compass to go into production sometime in 2027. However, Stellantis moved the plan for that vehicle’s production to a different idled plant in the US.

This change prompted a strong response. The Canadian government has now declared the automaker in default of its agreements. Meanwhile, Stellantis has insisted it is working on something for Brampton Assembly.

The Possible Savior: A New Electric Chrysler

Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, suggested the Stellantis plan. There was an electric Chrysler model that was going to be built alongside the Jeep Compass. Despite the slowdown of electric vehicle introductions, that vehicle could still be a possibility.

Stellantis could drop a gas engine in it to make a hybrid and bring it to market. Other industry sources repeated a similar story to the CBC. Chrysler boss Christine Feuell recently confirmed a new model was coming. This will be a crossover and will be the first new Chrysler in 20 years.

Secrecy and the Tariff Barrier

Stellantis is not laying out its plans for the Brampton plant for several reasons. Automakers are very secretive about advance information.

There is also the matter of a trade war. Canada and the US have been working on a trade deal since the Trump administration announced widespread tariffs on everything. Vehicles imported from Canada to the US are no longer duty-free for their builders.

Vito Beato, president of Unifor Local 1285, which represents the plant’s workers, said Stellantis has “big plans for Brampton.” However, the automaker made it clear that it needs CUMSA (the trade agreement) or tariff relief to follow through.