Saltillo South Celebrates 6,000,000th Pentastar Engine Produced There

It’s been thirteen years since production began of the award-winning Pentastar V6 engine at the Stellantis Saltillo South Engine Plant in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. The Mexican engine plant currently builds Pentastar engines for 11 different Chrysler Group products. But in recent days, the 761,009 square-foot plant has celebrated a large milestone: the production of its 6,000,000th engine.

According to Stellantis, there are 1,162 (1,029 hourly; 133 salaried) employees on three crews producing the Pentastar family of engines there in Saltillo.

The 6,000,000th engine was celebrated by the plant in a small ceremony. That engine is scheduled to find its way into a 2023 Jeep® Wrangler (JL) at the Stellantis Toledo Suppliers Park in Ohio. It was fitted with a 48-volt belt-start generator (BSG) and features eTorque mild-hybrid technology that adds low-end torque for impressive starting power and exceptional rock crawling, and the ESS feature, which shuts off the engine when the vehicle is fully stopped and restarts it for takeoff. That version of the Pentastar is only available on the JL with automatic transmissions.

Currently, the plant produces Pentastar V6s for several models including:

• Chrysler 300
• Chrysler Grand Caravan
• Chrysler Pacifica / Pacifica Hybrid PHEV
• Chrysler Voyager
• Dodge Challenger
• Dodge Charger
• Dodge Durango
• Jeep Grand Cherokee
• Jeep Grand Cherokee L
• Jeep Wrangler
• Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
• Ram 1500

The Pentastar engine has been recognized seven times as one of the “10-Best Engines” by the prestigious specialized media WardsAuto. This achievement is a testament to the high-quality work done by the team at the Saltillo South Engine Plant, where the Pentastar engine is manufactured.

Carlos Rivera, the Manufacturing Director of Stellantis Mexico, expressed his pride in the plant’s achievement of producing six million engines. Rivera acknowledged that this milestone was the result of the hard work and dedication of everyone at the plant. Despite the challenges faced by the industry, reaching this number was a reason for satisfaction for all members of the Stellantis Mexico family.

The Saltillo South Engine Plant, which was inaugurated in 2010, has received recognition for its commitment to excellence. In November 2016, it earned the Silver designation by World Class Manufacturing (WCM), becoming the first plant in Mexico to receive this distinction. The designation acknowledges the plant’s long-term commitment to implementing significant changes that ensure its future success.