Premier Mark Carney says the global head of Stellantis told him the automaker is looking to find a new model to fill the idled Brampton, Ont., plant, but that a decision won’t come quickly.
Speaking to reporters in Toronto, Carney said Stellantis told him the decision to produce a vehicle in Brampton would depend on the completion of a renewed free trade agreement with the United States.
Stellantis announced Tuesday that it will invest $13 billion over the next four years to expand its U.S. manufacturing capacity. It said the new investments will increase its U.S. vehicle production by 50 percent and add more than 5,000 jobs.
The company, formerly called Chrysler, said the Jeep Compass, which was previously planned to be built at the Brampton Assembly Plant, will move to the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois.
Carney says he expressed his “disappointment” with stellantis for its decision to move long-planned Jeep production from Ontario.
The Brampton, Ontario, plant has been closed since early 2024 to retool to build the next-generation model of the vehicle, but that work halted in February when U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs aimed at bringing more production to the United States.
Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday he will pressure Stellantis to keep the company’s Brampton, Ont., assembly plant open and keep its promise to workers after the automaker announced plans to move Jeep production scheduled for the plant to the United States.
At an unrelated news conference Wednesday, Ford said it was disappointed by the decision after receiving assurances from Stellantis Canada president Jeff Hines that the company planned to keep the Brampton plant open.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, speaking at an unrelated event in northern Ontario on Wednesday, said he will back off on promised provincial funding for Stellantis after the automaker announced plans to move Jeep production scheduled for Brampton to the United States.
