Stellantis is expanding its industrial plant in northern Mexico for the production of Ram 1500 pickup trucks, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. According to sources cited in the report, the company is creating new production areas next to its current facility in Saltillo, Mexico. Based on satellite images analyzed by the newspaper, two buildings approximately 500 meters long have been constructed in recent months. Stellantis has stated that it has already produced other variants of Ram pickup trucks in Mexico, but so far there have been no announcements regarding the production of the Ram 1500.
Stellantis is creating new production areas next to its current facility in Saltillo, Mexico
According to the WSJ report, it’s unclear whether the space planned for the expansion of Stellantis’ factory in Saltillo will be used for the production of electric or gasoline versions of Ram pickup trucks. This development comes at a time when the United Auto Workers union is closely monitoring the situation and threatening strikes in the United States against Stellantis, accusing the company of not fulfilling commitments made in last year’s contract.
This contract was signed after a six-week strike that resulted in profit losses of about 750 million euros for the automotive group. In August, Stellantis announced its intention to lay off up to 2,450 workers at the Warren Truck assembly plant, located near Detroit. This decision was made after the suspension of production of the Ram 1500 Classic pickup.
However, in recent days, the automotive group has announced new staff cuts at its U.S. plants, though without providing specifics at the moment. A Stellantis spokesperson stated that news on this matter will come in the coming weeks. The UAW union also fears that Stellantis might move the production of the new generation Dodge Durango to Canada. Regarding this matter, Stellantis has neither denied nor confirmed the relocation of Dodge Durango production from Detroit to Canada, stating that it has not yet made a decision.