Stellantis: Major brands, global reach, challenges for automaker
Explore the history of Stellantis, the automotive giant formed in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group.
- Stellantis announced a $13 billion investment into the U.S. market.
- The investment, the company claims, will lead to 5,000 new jobs and five new vehicles by 2029.
- Five plants across four states will receive investments of $100 million or more.
Stellantis is making the single-largest investment the company has ever made (even as Chrysler), announcing plans to drop $13 billion into the U.S. market.
The company said in a news release on Tuesday, Oct. 14 that the investment will affect each of its manufacturing facilities in the U.S., with the largest sums to be distributed among four states — Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. The investment will result in five new vehicles from the international automaker. Stellantis is also claiming the investment will result in 5,000 more American jobs.
Stellantis owns Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Fiat and Maserati in the United States.
Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa told the Free Press via phone call that he is excited about the investment, adding that he anticipates “an additional 20,000 jobs” at supplier companies Stellantis works with as a result of the investment.
The reason for the historic investment, Filosa said, was that he is optimistic about the future of the U.S. automotive market and forecasts Stellantis revitalizing its position therein. The American auto industry has spent 2025 navigating a new economic landscape informed by heavy tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“I set a priority to the team to grow back in the United States because the United States is the largest market where we operate as a company,” Filosa said. “It’s a market that we believe will keep growing and a market that represents to us very good business.”
The brand said that the forthcoming midsize truck from Ram will be built in Toledo, Ohio. That is a shift from previous claims that the midsize pickup would be built at the long-idled Belvidere assembly plant in Belvidere, Ohio. The company expects the move to create more than 900 jobs in Toledo, where the Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler will also continue production. The new truck, the company said, will launch in 2028.
In Belvidere, instead of the midsize truck, the brand said it will be the production site of two Jeep vehicles backed by a $600 million infusion. The recently revived Jeep Cherokee, as well as a new Jeep Compass, will be produced in Belvidere by an estimated workforce of 3,300. Stellantis expects the Belvidere-produced vehicles to launch in 2027.
In Michigan, two plants will receive investments of $100 million or more. Warren Truck Assembly, which currently builds Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, will produce “an all-new range-extended EV and internal combustion engine large SUV” in 2028, adding 900 new jobs.
Earlier in the day, Stellantis announced that the next-generation Jeep Grand Wagoneer will come with a range-extended powertrain, though the company did not announce when it would be released. It is unclear whether that vehicle is the subject of the investment in Warren.
Stellantis also said it will invest $130 million at the Jefferson North Assembly complex in Detroit to produce a new Dodge Durango for a 2029 launch. The Durango, Dodge’s popular three-row SUV, has been produced at Jefferson North since 2011. This is the first time Stellantis has announced a next-generation Durango, a product that has not been updated in years.
Kokomo, Indiana, will receive additional investments from Stellantis, too. An all-new four-cylinder engine named the GMET4 EVO will begin production in 2026 with a $100 million investment and an addition of more than 100 jobs.
All told, Stellantis claims the investment will create 5,000 new jobs in the U.S. and lead to a 50% increase in yearly vehicle production and five new vehicles. The announcement affirms rumors that previously swirled about the company’s plan to make a $10 billion investment in the U.S.
Filosa, who began in June, has said on multiple occasions that he intends to strengthen Stellantis’ position in the U.S. market.
He hopes this investment will do just that.
“Accelerating growth in the U.S. has been a top priority since my first day. Success in America is not just good for Stellantis in the U.S. — it makes us stronger everywhere,” Filosa said in the news release.
During the first four years of Stellantis (following a merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the PSA Group), the company struggled to gain a significant, competitive foothold in the American economy. Last quarter, the company posted its first sales growth in two years.
The plan may help Stellantis avoid heavy blows to profitability from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff plan, which the company previously expected to cause a loss of 1.7 billion during the first year under the policies. The move, in part, actualizes Trump’s promises to bring American auto manufacturing to the U.S., with vehicles like the Jeep Compass and Cherokee, which are currently built overseas, returning to American production facilities under the new investment plan.
(This story is developing and will be updated.)
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: [email protected].
