Stellantis Considers Selling Brampton Plant in Canada

On August 14, Unifor, the Canadian auto workers' union, stated it had received notice from Stellantis that the company is considering closing and selling its vehicle assembly plant in Brampton, Ontario, citing the impact of U.S. trade tariffs. The plant has been idled since 2024 for production line retooling, but Stellantis halted the retooling project after former U.S. President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs on Canadian goods in 2025, shifting future production of the Jeep Compass to a facility in Illinois, USA. Unifor noted that Stellantis has not yet issued a formal closure notice but has informed the union of plans to begin discussions with an unnamed company regarding a potential sale of the plant. If the facility ultimately closes, it would mark the end of decades of vehicle assembly operations at the Brampton site. Prior to its shutdown, the Brampton plant employed 2,200 workers. The current labor agreement expires in September, and Unifor is set to enter into new collective bargaining negotiations with Stellantis covering this plant and two others. In response, Stellantis said it is about to enter the collective bargaining process and has no further public statements at this time, adding that it "remains committed to identifying a sustainable production solution for the Brampton Assembly Plant." A spokesperson for Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said the federal government is actively engaging with Stellantis, Unifor, and the Ontario provincial government to support efforts to keep the plant operational. Additionally, previous reports indicated that Stellantis is exploring plans with its Chinese partner, Leapmotor Technology of Zhejiang Province, to build an electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Canada—a prospect that has raised serious concerns from Unifor. The U.S. and Canada had originally aimed to reach a new trade agreement by August 12 to address the newly imposed tariffs.