BREAKING: Windsor Will Begin Building A New Electrified Vehicle In 2024:

Unifor Agreement Brings New Electrified Vehicle To Windsor Assembly Plant...

Robert S. Miller October 15, 2020

2024 Chrysler Grand Caravan SXT. (Chrysler Canada).

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Canada (FCA Canada) has reached a tentative agreement with Unifor, just minutes before a midnight deadline that could have lead to around 8,500 Canadian autoworkers going on strike. During a press conference Thursday morning, Unifor National President Jerry Dias said FCA Canada had committed to a $1.3 to $1.5 billion investment for an additional future plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) for the Windsor Assembly Plant in Windsor, Ontario that is expected to launch in 2024.

Currently, the Windsor Assembly Plant manufacturers the Chrysler Pacifica, Chrysler Voyager, and Chrysler Grand Caravan for the 2021 model year. All three are based on the same platform and share most of their components. The plant eliminated around 1,500 jobs, after the announcement that the aging Dodge Grand Caravan would end production. During this morning’s announcement, that deal would create 2,000 new jobs at the plant for the future electrified vehicle.

2017 Chrysler Portal Concept. (Chrysler).

While not many details were released about the future product and what brand it would represent, many have thought that a future electrified Chrysler small people mover would be built in the upcoming years at the plant. The Chrysler brand has teased two small electrified vehicles in the past four years. One of those products was the Chrysler Portal Concept, a small crossover van designed for the millennial generation and showcasing Level 4 autonomy possibilities. The other vehicle was the Chrysler Airflow Vision Concept, another smaller crossover styled vehicle that was shown this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which showcased several new infotainment technologies that will be coming to future FCA products.

2020 Chrysler Airflow Vision Concept. (Chrysler).

FCA Canada also has other facilities throughout Canada. These include the following…

Manufacturing Facilities:

Windsor Assembly Plant in Windsor, Ontario:
Products: Chrysler Pacifica, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, Chrysler Voyager, and Chrysler Grand Caravan

Brampton Assembly Plant in Brampton, Ontario:

Products: Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Challenger

Etobicoke Casting Plant in Toronto, Ontario:
Products: Aluminum Die Castings, Pistons, Engine, and Transmission Parts

Research and Test Facilities:

FCA Canada/University of Windsor Automotive Research and Development Centre (ARDC) in Windsor, Ontario:
In partnership with the University of Windsor, the facility conducts research and testing for various automotive initiatives. The ARDC is equipped with six road-test simulators and a range of research and development support facilities, including the Automotive Coatings Research Facility and the Automotive Lighting Research Facility.

A Dodge Challenger SRT HELLCAT Redeye at the Brampton Assembly Plant. (FCA).

This morning’s press conference also underlined some exciting news for the Brampton Assembly Plant, which builds the current Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, and the Chrysler 300 Series. According to the union, FCA Canada has committed to maintaining the current portfolio of vehicles at the plant, but will also bring three new “buzz” derivatives complimenting the current portfolio of products to the market. Expect one vehicle to be released each year, for the next three years.

An operator at the Brampton Assembly Plant installs a removable plexiglas partition in the engine compartment of a Dodge Challenger. (FCA).

The Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, and the Chrysler 300 Series sit on the aging L-platform architectures which have been in the lineup since 2004. The platforms have received several updates throughout their lives and continue to sell strong in their segments, respectively. The next-generation cars are expected to adopt the Giorgio architecture which underpins the current Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio and will be adapted in several future FCA products.

The FCA Canada and Unifor agreement comes amid the high-profile 50:50 merger of FCA and French automaker Groupe PSA, which was announced last December. The $50 billion deal would result in the creation of STELLANTIS, the fourth largest global OEM by volume and the third largest by revenue. Then completion of the merger project is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2021