An aerial view of the Stellantis Windsor Assembly Plant in Windsor, Ont., on April 3. The carmaker said it is assessing the impacts of U.S. tariffs.Dax Melmer/The Globe and Mail
Stellantis NV STLA-N says it will postpone production of the 2026 electric Dodge Charger R/T at its Windsor, Ont., assembly plant because of the U.S. tariffs on Canadian-made cars.
The company said in a statement there will be no impact on jobs at the plant, which employs 3,800 hourly workers and also makes minivans.
The Charger R/T is the base model of the electric muscle car, which the factory began making last year. There are still plans to make four-door versions of the all-electric and gas-powered cars in Windsor this year, Stellantis said in a statement.
“Production of the Dodge Charger Daytona R/T is postponed for the 2026 model year as we continue to assess the effects of U.S. tariff policies,” Stellantis said in a statement.
Unifor national president Lana Payne confirmed no jobs will be lost with the delay, aided by the launch of the four-door Charger in late 2025. “However, ongoing attacks on Canada by the Trump Administration will only foster more economic uncertainty and job instability in the auto sector for Canadian and American workers,” said Ms. Payne, who represents workers at the plant.
The Windsor assembly plant was closed for two weeks in April, shortly after the 25-per-cent tariffs were enacted, and will see rolling production cuts and layoffs through to July.
The Franco-Italian auto maker has also postponed the addition of a third production shift until next year.
Stellantis’s news comes amid slowing growth in EV sales, owing in part to the tariffs and the elimination of government purchasing incentives in Canada and the United States.
Honda Canada recently delayed its $15-billion electric vehicle project in Ontario amid weaker sales outlooks. Ford Motor Co. has shelved plans to make EVs in Oakville, Ont., and plans to make pickup trucks when the plant reopens.
Mélanie Joly, Minster of Innovation, Science and Industry, said she spoke on Thursday with Stellantis North America’s chief executive officer, Jeff Hines, and received assurances the automaker’s Canadian jobs will be maintained.
“There is a softening of the demand on the electric vehicle side,” she said at a Toronto news conference on Thursday, adding, “The auto sector is under huge pressure because of the tariffs.”
Ottawa is working to restore government support for EV purchases, which lapsed early this year, she said. “We know that it is important for the auto sector,” Ms. Joly said. “It is also important to make sure that Canadians are able to have access to affordable electric vehicles.”
Stellantis and LG Energy Solution are planning a $5-billion car battery plant in Windsor that is expected to create 2,500 jobs.
Ms. Joly said she has been told by Stellantis the project is on track but has yet to speak to LG and plans to do so shortly. “Obviously it is an important investment in Canada at the same time the information I got from Stellantis was reassuring,” Ms. Joly said. “But I am a very pragmatic person and I am not naive so we need to continue to fight for these jobs.”
Ms. Joly said Dominic LeBlanc, Minister for U.S.-Canada trade, is in Washington this week working to find a way to get the tariffs lifted.
“We are in negotiations with the Americans right now,” Ms. Joly said.
Stellantis’s Brampton, Ont., assembly plant, which used to make the Dodge muscle cars, has been shut down since late 2023 to be retooled for Jeeps. However, the company has paused the work amid tariff uncertainty and a sales shift away from electric cars.
Stellantis on Wednesday said it will spend US$388-million building a parts distribution facility near Detroit.