Union Says Fiat Chrysler Ready to Pony Up for a New Product at Windsor Assembly
Hot on the heels of Fiat Chrysler’s announcement of a shift cut at its Windsor, Ontario minivan plant, officials from Canadian autoworkers’ union Unifor say the automaker has $355 million ready to invest in the facility.
Last month, FCA told Unifor it would cut the plant’s third shift by the end of September, the result of falling minivan sales on both sides of the border. Windsor Assembly employs 6,100 workers, some 1,500 of which stand to lose their jobs. Unifor President Jerry Dias claims the investment will see a new product built in Windsor.
News of the $355 million investment, said to roll out within the next 12 months, came from a sit-down between FCA brass and Unifor officials on Wednesday, the Windsor Star reports.
“There’s no question Fiat Chrysler is committed to Windsor,” Dias said following a talk with Fiat Chrysler COO Mark Stewart. “The bottom line is they’re investing for future product. It doesn’t mean it’ll save the third shift, but that’s what we’ll work on now.”
What form will that product take? A flurry of reports earlier this year claim an all-wheel drive Chrysler Pacifica is in the works, with plant preparation alleged to take place over the summer. Slotting an AWD Pacifica into the automaker’s lineup could potentially prop up the minivan’s sagging sales by drawing in customers who might otherwise have bought a crossover or SUV. Toyota recently added an AWD version of its Prius in a bid to lure buyers in wintry climes.
There’s also the issue of the Chrysler Portal, a minivan-type vehicle, perhaps electric, that’s rumored to ride atop the Pacifica platform. However, that vehicle remains hazy, despite reports claiming FCA has approved its production for the 2021 model year.
“They know what they want to do, but they’re finalizing a few things,” Dias told the Star. “They want to maximize their investment in Windsor. The Pacifica platform gives them all kinds of options.”
He added, “I’m feeling a lot more comfortable (about the plant).”
FCA Canada, when contacted, would not discuss future product or the promised investment.
[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]
More by Steph Willems
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- Pig_Iron This message is for Matthew Guy. I just want to say thank you for the photo article titled Tailgate Party: Ford Talks Truck Innovations. It was really interesting. I did not see on the home page and almost would have missed it. I think it should be posted like Corey's Cadillac series. 🙂
- Analoggrotto Hyundai GDI engines do not require such pathetic bandaids.
- Slavuta They rounded the back, which I don't like. And inside I don't like oval shapes
- Analoggrotto Great Value Seventy : The best vehicle in it's class has just taken an incremental quantum leap towards cosmic perfection. Just like it's great forebear, the Pony Coupe of 1979 which invented the sportscar wedge shape and was copied by the Mercedes C111, this Genesis was copied by Lexus back in 1998 for the RX, and again by BMW in the year of 1999 for the X5, remember the M Class from the Jurassic Park movie? Well it too is a copy of some Hyundai luxury vehicles. But here today you can see that the de facto #1 luxury SUV in the industry remains at the top, the envy of every drawing board, and pentagon data analyst as a pure statement of the finest automotive design. Come on down to your local Genesis dealership today and experience acronymic affluence like never before.
- SCE to AUX Figure 160 miles EPA if it came here, minus the usual deductions.It would be a dud in the US market.
Comments
Join the conversation
Well, if everything at Windsor is based on an AWD Pacifica platform,, FCA can do what they've done with Jeep: put out multiple variations. Imagine a Pacifica-based AWD Charger and Challenger, maybe even a Chrysler limo. What will they do with Brampton Assembly? make Euro-spec Alfas for export to Europe, bypassing the unpleasant EU-US trade foofaraw, while getting better build quality for US-spec Alfas imported under USMCA.
Not sure how much further Pacifica based product will take them, since in 2019 the Grand Caravan is still outselling the Pacifica almost two to one. If they're doing some new product, how about a more durable transmission and enjoyable shift programming for the existing Gen5 Grand Caravan? That's 10 years of Caravans requiring some new product, next time the tranny goes in my 2015 it'll be out of warranty and since I'll be paying the bill myself I'd pay more for something that lasts more than 100,000 km =:(