Windsor Assembly Plant expected to produce four vehicles, securing jobs for the next decade

Industry forecasters expect Stellantis to expand production at its Windsor Assembly Plant, adding three new vehicles by 2026 – a shift that could secure the plant’s future for the next decade.

AutoForecast Solutions (AFS) reports that alongside the current Chrysler Pacifica and previously announced all-electric muscle car, the plant will begin producing a replacement for the Dodge Durango and a Chrysler crossover.

“These vehicles are not going to be super high volume, but combined they should fill the plant,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AFS.

According to Fiorani, the expansion has the potential to return the plant to full capacity and could provide a timeline to the return of the third shift.

While these reports paint an optimistic future for the Windsor facility, Stellantis has yet to confirm.

Spokesperson LouAnn Gosselin told CTV News: "Stellantis has made no announcements regarding the allocation of the Dodge Durango replacement and has nothing further to add at this time."

Fiorani isn’t surprised by the company’s silence.

“Manufacturers are always very cagey about what they're going to produce or what they're putting in,” he said. “That way, it leaves it open. If things change, if labor becomes a problem or if anything else comes up, they can step back and say, 'Well, that was never planned.'”

Despite the company's discretion, Fiorani believes the plant is well-positioned for future growth.

The platforms used to build the new all-electric muscle car, he said, can easily accommodate the two unannounced mid-sized vehicles, allowing them to “fill the plant very nicely.”

Fiorani added that this level of production would likely carry the plant well into the next decade.

“The investment required for the plant for the vehicle and the volume they need to get out of it will likely take six to 10 years to pay off,” he said, indicating the Windsor Assembly Plant could be a hub of activity into the 2030s.