Auto-maker Stellantis restarts Illinois plant to build new Dodge Durango after Trump tariff threat

Stellantis, the major automaker behind brands like Ram, Jeep, and Dodge, is taking steps to restart a Belvidere, Illinois car plant. They intend to build the new Dodge Durango in the United States after President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico, where Stellantis has some of its production.

In a letter to employees, Stellantis North America COO Antonio Filosa said that company chairman John Elkann met with Trump prior to his inauguration, noting Trump's “enthusiasm” for bolstering US jobs and the economy as well as growing American industries, per Yahoo Finance.

“These actions are part of our commitment to invest in our U.S. operations to grow our auto production and manufacturing here,” Filosa wrote in the letter to employees.

"This victory is a testament to the power of workers standing together and holding a billion-dollar corporation accountable,” the United Auto Workers union president, Shawn Fain, said on Wednesday in response to the action. “We’ve shown that we will do what it takes to protect the good union jobs that are the lifeblood of places like Belvidere, Detroit, Kokomo and beyond.”

The company, which also owns Fiat, Dodge, Ram and Peugeot, brought the Illinois plant to standstill in early 2023. It had committed to reopen the plant in 2024, but the reopening was delayed by falling profits. In addition to the Durango, Stellantis is planning on making a medium-size pickup truck in Belvidere.

Stellantis is also investing in plants located in Toledo, Ohio, and Kokomo, Indiana. The famous Jeep Wrangler as well as the Gladiator are both made at the Toledo plant.