Stellantis has reconfirmed its plans to produce a new mid-size pickup truck at the Belvidere, Illinois facility. The announcement comes after a period of uncertainty: in August, the automotive group formed by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Groupe had announced a delay in planned investments for the site. In 2023, Stellantis had planned to build a $3.2 billion battery production plant and allocated $1.5 billion for the revival of the Belvidere facility, with the goal of starting production of the new pickup trucks by 2027.
Stellantis confirms it will reopen Belvidere plant to produce new pickup
The breakthrough came on Wednesday when employees received an important investment plan update, following the meeting between Stellantis Chairman John Elkann and U.S. President Donald Trump. During the meeting, Elkann emphasized the company’s commitment to growth in the U.S. market.
Antonio Filosa, Stellantis Chief Operating Officer for North America, informed employees via email that the plan includes reopening the Belvidere facility, which has been indefinitely closed since February 2023, with the reinstatement of over 1,500 UAW employees by 2027, as outlined in the 2023 UAW-Stellantis collective bargaining agreement.
In his email, Filosa wrote: “Dear colleagues, I wanted to let you know that last week, before the inauguration, our Chairman John Elkann met with President Trump to share our excitement about his strong commitment to the U.S. auto industry and all that means for American jobs and the economy overall.”
Filosa‘s email continues: “John told the President that, building on our proud history of more than 100 years in the United States, we intend to continue this tradition by further strengthening our manufacturing presence in the United States and providing stability to our outstanding American workforce. Our plans, focused on increasing market share and growing sales volume, involve a multi-billion dollar investment in our people, excellent products, and innovative technologies, all here in the United States. Today we can confirm a series of specific actions in implementing this plan: These actions are part of our commitment to invest in our U.S. operations to increase automobile production and manufacturing here.”
Finally, Filosa added: “We have shared all these actions with the UAW and our desire to work together to strengthen our great company. I look forward to sharing more information about our overall plans with you soon, as well as with our incredible dealer network, whom I’ll be meeting later this week in New Orleans at the NADA Show 2025. In the meantime, thank you all for your outstanding commitment to these efforts and to the future of our company.”