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
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
'Of course, yes': Poland latest European country with interest in Canadian LNG
The President of Poland says his country would 'of course' be interested in purchasing Canadian liquefied natural gas if it were available, while the Canadian federal government has said it is 'not interested' in subsidizing future projects.
Passage of harsh anti-2SLGBTQ+ law in Iraq draws diplomatic backlash
Human rights groups and diplomats criticized a law that was quietly passed by the Iraqi parliament over the weekend that would impose heavy prison sentences on gay and transgender people.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
A munitions explosion at a Cambodian army base kills 20 soldiers, but its cause is unclear
Security was tight around a military base in southwestern Cambodia on Sunday, a day after a huge explosion there killed 20 soldiers, wounded others and damaged nearby houses.
What Trudeau's podcast appearances say about the Liberals' next ballot box question
Trudeau recently appeared on four podcasts as he travels the country talking up the Liberals' latest budget, which he's pitching as a plan to inject more economic fairness into society for those under 40 — a cohort that has kept Trudeau in power since 2015 but is increasingly turning to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.