Stellantis Announces Investment and Plans for Trenton Engine Complex:

Stellantis North America announced future plans for the two facilities that make up its Trenton Engine Complex in Michigan last week. The complex currently assembles a number of the Pentastar V6 engines that power a number of the Chrysler Group’s current portfolio. The new plan will allow the facility to provide maximum flexibility for the company’s future operations.

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The plan calls for a $24.7 million investment to retool the South plant to be a flexible engine line, capable of producing the two variants of the award-winning 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine family. The 2.1 million-square-foot South facility, has built Pentastar V6 engines for 16 different Chrysler Group vehicles since 2011 in 11 different segments. 

Currently, the South plant manufacturers both 3.2-liter Pentastar V6 engines for the Jeep® Cherokee (KL) and the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 (Classic) for the Dodge Challenger (LA), Dodge Charger (LD), Chrysler 300 (LX), Jeep Grand Cherokee (WL), Dodge Durango (WD), and Ram 1500 Classic (DS).

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The 822,000-square-foot facility will be retooled to streamline the production from seven variants of the Pentastar V6 to just one, by Q1 2023. That one variant will be the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 (Upgrade) or “PUG”. Upgraded in 2016, the redesigned V6 delivers improved fuel economy and performance over the Classic version of the same engine, which will continue to be produced through 2023.

As for the 2.1-million-square-foot North facility, it will be repurposed for warehousing and other non-manufacturing opportunities.  

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Currently, the North facility manufacturers the machined blocks for the Pentastar engines and the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 (Upgrade) used in the Chrysler Pacifica, Voyager, and Grand Caravan (RU) minivans. 

Together, the two facilities share a workforce of 1,322 employees (1,120 hourly; 202 salaried).