EV Dodge Charger production good news for Windsor, Unifor Local 444 president says
Unifor Local 444 President Dave Cassidy likes the look of the new generation EV Dodge Charger and its potential.
“We're going to have the electric side of it. There's going to be the ICE side of it so it's going to be a really hot product,” Cassidy said.
Billed as the world's first EV muscle car, the all-electric Dodge Charger is set to be built in Windsor.
“By the way that EV will be faster than the ICE engine,” Cassidy said. “I mean, the electric speeds up right away.”
The Charger is expected to deliver 670 horsepower and go zero to 100 in 3.3 seconds.
“This is a big marquee name for Stellantis,” said Greg Layson, editor for Automotive News Canada. “Muscle car. It is pretty much the only one left and the projections are 130,000 per year built in the factory behind us. That is enough to sustain one shift.”
According to Cassidy, not since the TV show MASH went off the air in 1983 has a car come off the line at the Windsor Assembly Plant.
That car? A Chrysler New Yorker.
2024 Dodge Charger. (Source: Stellantis)Layson said the change in gears to EV gives the plant generational flexibility.
“This plant can change on a dime so if people want more minivans than electric muscle cars they can do that. If they want more muscle cars than they do minivans they can do that,” Layson said.
On top of the Charger, the plant is expected to build a new generation minivan.
“We're going to get our three shift operation back at Windsor Assembly,” Cassidy said. “Next year we have another product coming. They haven't announced it obviously. There's a lot of good things in the future for Windsor.”
Layson added, “The flexibility of the plant is really key and you're going to see that two and three years from now when you're building cars, crossovers and minivans all in one plant.”
He suspects the factory won't hit three shifts until 2026 when all of the models to be built are in production.
“You'll see probably two shifts almost immediately when Charger production starts because you'll be building the Charger and the minivan. There's demand for both,” Layson explained.
Cassidy said the Charger is revving up to help drive Windsor-Essex into the future.
“We struggled for a lot of years but manufacturing now starts in Windsor and Essex and this is the gateway to Canada for manufacturing,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6978649.1722015109!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Missing 3-year-old boy found dead in creek in Mississauga, Ont.: police
A three-year-old boy has been found dead a day after he went missing in a park in Mississauga, Ont., Peel police say.
Celine Dion delivers stirring comeback performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before residents can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes 'for several weeks.'
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn for $146,000 water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six-figure water bill.
FBI says Trump was indeed struck by bullet during assassination attempt
Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump's near assassination, the FBI confirmed Friday that it was indeed a bullet that struck the former president's ear, moving to clear up conflicting accounts about what caused the former president's injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Turpel-Lafond won't sue CBC over Cree heritage report that took 'heavy toll': lawyer
The lawyer for a former judge whose claims to be Cree were questioned in a CBC investigation says his client is not considering legal action against the broadcaster after the Law Society of British Columbia this week backed her claims of Indigenous heritage.
Major Canadian bank experiences direct deposit outage on payday
Scotiabank says it has fixed a technical issue that impacted direct deposits on Friday morning.