Stellantis has announced the temporary suspension of activities in some of its key plants at the Detroit Assembly Complex, responsible for assembling models such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango. The production stoppage will particularly affect the Mack and Jefferson North plants, located in the eastern part of the city, and will occur during the week beginning April 28. A second interruption is also planned for the Mack plant, scheduled from May 19.
Stellantis will suspend production at the Detroit plants that produce the Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango
This decision is just the latest announced by the group, which in recent weeks has already implemented similar measures at other sites in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In an internal communication, Stellantis specified that some departments, such as those dedicated to painting and repairs, will continue activities despite the general suspension.
The main reason behind the stoppage is related to the transition to the new generation of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, expected by the end of the year. However, the company has clarified that, to ensure a smooth launch and high quality standards, production of the 2025 version will be extended. “To best support the debut of the new model, we are extending the assembly of the 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee,” explained Ann Marie Fortunate, a company spokesperson. “For this reason, Mack and Jefferson will experience a week of inactivity at the end of April.”
Sales of the two SUVs involved have shown signs of slowing in the first quarter of the year: the Grand Cherokee lost 11% year-over-year, stopping at 48,465 units, while the Dodge Durango suffered a 9% decrease, with 13,701 vehicles registered.
The production contraction is not limited to U.S. plants. The Toluca plant in Mexico, where the Jeep Compass and the new electric Jeep Wagoneer S SUV are assembled, will remain closed until the end of the month. The decision comes in a context marked by new 25% tariffs imposed by President Trump on imported cars, which went into effect in April. These tariffs have pushed Stellantis to temporarily suspend plants in Mexico and Canada as well, with an estimated employment impact of about 900 American workers put on temporary layoff in engine and stamping departments.
There are, however, also positive signals: the Windsor plant in Canada, where Chrysler minivans and the new electric muscle car Dodge Charger Daytona are produced, will resume production on two shifts starting Tuesday, after a two-week pause. This will allow thousands of temporarily suspended employees to return to work. Stellantis has confirmed that more than half of the workers from sites such as Sterling Stamping, Indiana Transmission, Kokomo Transmission, and Kokomo Casting will return to operations to support Windsor’s activities.
Finally, the Warren plant, dedicated to the production of Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer SUVs, also remains closed until early May. In this case, however, the suspension is not related to tariffs, but to a temporary shortage of engines. Stellantis has redistributed part of the production of the 3.0-liter Hurricane V6 biturbo engines, used in Jeep SUVs, toward Ram 1500 pickups, currently among the most requested models, manufactured at the Sterling Heights plant.
