The Stellantis Windsor assembly plant will be on display in Windsor, Canada on April 1, 2025.
Bill Pugliano | Getty Images
Detroit – Stellantis Production is temporarily suspended at two assembly plants in Canada and Mexico. The company confirmed Thursday as it is about to navigate President Donald Trump’s new round of 25% auto tolls.
The action is the fastest and most dramatic by the automaker regarding new tariffs that come into effect Thursday and will be imposed on all vehicles imported into the US, including Canada and Mexico.
Stellantis’ downtime begins Monday and will take place throughout April at the Windsor Assembly Plant, a car manufacturer in Ontario, Canada, for two weeks at the Toruca Assembly Plant in Mexico.
According to a company spokesperson, the suspension of production will result in approximately 4,500 hourly workers at the Canadian factory as well as approximately 900 US representative employees at the support plant. Workers at Mexican factories still report to facilities, but will not produce vehicles due to terms of contract, a spokesperson said.
In an email to employees Thursday, Stellantis North American’s Antonio Filosa chief said plant downtime is tied to tariffs as the company reviews its options.
“We continue to assess the medium-term and long-term impact on the operations of these tariffs, but we have also decided to take immediate action, including a temporary suspension of production at assembly plants in Canada and Mexico,” Firosa said. “These actions will affect some employees in some of the US powertrain and stamping facilities that support those businesses.”
The Canadian plant produces the Chrysler Pacifica minivan and the recently released Dodge Charger Daytona EV. The Mexican factory produces Jeep Compass SUVs and Jeep Wagonia EVs.
Filosa said “the current environment creates uncertainty,” but assures that the company, whose employees continue to search for a new CEO, is “very involved with all key stakeholders, including top government leaders, unions, suppliers and dealers in the US, Canada and Mexico.”
Stopping production also helps with the low vehicle inventory levels of Stellantis, which have accumulated amidst many brands’ poor sales.
Stellantis’s Detroit rival Ford Motor and General Motors Additionally, although we responded to customs duties, it was not about idling production.
GM UPS truck production
GM plans to temporarily increase production of pickup trucks at its Indiana plant.
According to those familiar with the plan, the increase in workers is added to those who have already employed for the plants as supplemental workers to support summer holidays and regular employee leave.
GM confirmed its plans Thursday without mentioning customs duties in a statement emailed.
Detroit automakers produce their important and highly profitable pickup trucks, including the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra, in a variety of plants in the US, Canada and Mexico.
GM is not cutting production on any plant as a result of the tariffs that Stellantis is doing, said those not allowed to speak to the media.
Ford employee discounts
Hours after Trump’s tariffs came into effect, Ford announced it would offer employee discounts to all customers.
Ford said the sales program from April 3 to June 2 included “significant savings,” but did not release exact details of the discount.
The program is called “America to America, America,” but excludes heavy vehicles such as the Ford Raptor, 2025 Ford Expedition, Ford Super Duty Truck, and Lincoln Navigator SUVs.
“We understand that these are uncertain times for many Americans,” the company said in a statement. “We have a retail inventory to do this and there are many options for customers who need the vehicle.”
U.S. car sales in the first quarter were higher than expected as consumers flocked to buy cars before they could activate car rates, and many expected the price of the vehicle to go up.
– Michele Luhn of CNBC contributed to this article.
