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Brampton Plant Workers Growing “Concerned” Over Stellantis Production Pause

Months-Long Delay Leaves Thousands In Limbo As Retooling Remains On Hold

Workers at Stellantis’ Brampton Assembly Plant are sounding the alarm. What was supposed to be a short production pause has now stretched into several months, and the automaker still isn’t saying when work will resume.

2023 Brampton Assembly Open House. (Heather Hulmes for MoparInsiders).

Unifor Local 1285 President Vito Beato told the Brampton Guardian that the situation has left thousands of workers in a state of uncertainty. The plant, which last built the Chrysler 300 (LX), Dodge Charger (LD), and Dodge Challenger (LA), officially stopped vehicle production just before Christmas 2023. A 24-month retooling period was planned to transition the plant to electric vehicle (EV) production, but work came to a halt on February 20, 2025—originally scheduled as an eight-week pause. It’s now well past that timeline, and there’s still no end in sight.

“We think that’s tied into tariffs and what that looks like for costs,” Beato said. “We’re concerned. Our plant is in a vulnerable position. Our plant cannot deal with tariffs.”

2023 Brampton Assembly Open House. (Heather Hulmes for MoparInsiders).

The Brampton facility employs around 3,000 workers, and another 1,000-plus are employed at supplier companies that depend on the plant’s activity. While union-negotiated protections—such as income, benefits, and pensions—are in place for plant workers, the situation is more dire for those at the supplier level.

“The over 1,000 members in the parts supplier base have pretty much run out of their EI,” Beato added. “They’re in a more precarious position than our members at the Brampton plant, but everyone is in the same spot as far as concern and worry.”

2023 Brampton Assembly Open House. (Heather Hulmes for MoparInsiders).

Beato emphasized the importance of the Brampton plant to the local community. Built in the 1980s, the facility has provided stable, well-paying jobs for generations of workers and supported a wide network of local businesses.

“It’s provided good work for everyone in the plant, all the suppliers that supply the plant and the community,” Beato said. “We want to get back to what we do best, and that’s build cars.”

2023 Brampton Assembly Open House. (Heather Hulmes for MoparInsiders).

Stellantis spokesperson LouAnn Gosselin offered no clear timeline for when retooling might resume, saying only that the company is reassessing its product strategy for North America.

“As we navigate today’s dynamic environment, Stellantis continues to reassess its product strategy in North America to ensure it is offering customers a range of vehicles with flexible powertrain options,” Gosselin said in an email to the Brampton Guardian. “As a result, the Company is temporarily pausing work on the next generation Jeep® Compass, including activities at the Brampton Assembly Plant.”

2023 Brampton Assembly Open House. (Heather Hulmes for MoparInsiders).

Gosselin stressed that the situation has not changed Stellantis’ overall commitment to Brampton. Back in May 2022, the automaker announced a $3.6 billion CAD ($2.8 billion USD) investment to retool both the Brampton and Windsor Assembly Plants and expand R&D capabilities as part of its Dare Forward 2030 strategy.

Still, without a clear update or plan in place, workers remain stuck in limbo.

“We’re ready,” he said. “We just need the green light.”

Sources: Unifor 1285 and Brampton Guardian

Robert S. Miller

Robert S. Miller is a diehard Mopar enthusiast who lives and breathes all that is Mopar. The Michigander is not only the Editor for MoparInsiders.com, 5thGenRams.com, and HDRams.com but an automotive photographer. He is an avid fan of offshore powerboat racing, which he travels the country to take part in.

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At some point I believe it would be wise to use a torque-vectoring differential paired with some sort of transmission, even if is only a two speed tranny. A proof of concept was built a number of years ago and shown to FCA people. The drivetrain mule was a Jeep Renegade and the project was done by a known vendor supplying FCA with drive line assemblies.

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At some point I believe it would be wise to use a torque-vectoring differential paired with some sort of transmission, even if is only a two speed tranny. A proof of concept was built a number of years ago and shown to FCA people. The drivetrain mule was a Jeep Renegade and the project was done by a known vendor supplying FCA with drive line assemblies.

it was done in the taycan. I think it's easier, cheaper, and more reliable to add more torque and power to a single speed ev than adding a transmission. the thing is to be honest with top speeds. most people never drive over 90-to 100mph. they can be geared low enough that any gears would be a waste.
if you want to reach 200mph, then you are probably geared too high for daily driving. but since the transmission adds constant parasitic loss, the difference in efficiency.
if you compare a Tesla plaid with a Porsche taycan, you quickly realize the Tesla power train destroys Porsche's dual motor with 2 speeds on the rear. more torque, more power, more acceleration, higher top speed (219mph unrestricted), longer range and better efficiency.

but ultimately the future of EVs are 4 small motors, one in each corner, and you can have different gearing front/rear . no more differentials, driveshafts, torque vectoring on all wheels

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it was done in the taycan. I think it's easier, cheaper, and more reliable to add more torque and power to a single speed ev than adding a transmission. the thing is to be honest with top speeds. most people never drive over 90-to 100mph. they can be geared low enough that any gears would be a waste.
if you want to reach 200mph, then you are probably geared too high for daily driving. but since the transmission adds constant parasitic loss, the difference in efficiency.
if you compare a Tesla plaid with a Porsche taycan, you quickly realize the Tesla power train destroys Porsche's dual motor with 2 speeds on the rear. more torque, more power, more acceleration, higher top speed (219mph unrestricted), longer range and better efficiency.

but ultimately the future of EVs are 4 small motors, one in each corner, and you can have different gearing front/rear . no more differentials, driveshafts, torque vectoring on all wheels

Production of the Lightyear 0 started today. Link here.

It has 4 small electric engines, one for each wheel.


4 independently controlled in-wheel motors

Lightyear 0's drivetrain began with a blank slate and a radical focus on efficiency.
Its design is truly unique.
Four traction inverters and direct drive-in-wheel motors eliminate the need for energy draining components, such as gearbox and driveshafts.
Our drivetrain is not only in pole position for the highest efficiency on the market, it also reduces the number of rotating components for much lower maintenance. Rigorous automotive testing programs have proven its reliability, and in the harshest of environments.

1,720 Nm Peak Vehicle Torque
130 kW Peak Vehicle Power (170 bhp)
10.5 kWh/100km Energy use at highway speed (100 km/h)

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