Stellantis, the European parent company of American brands Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep, is retooling its Michigan plants to enable more electric vehicle production.
The automaker says it will put more than $400 million into three Michigan facilities to support its “multi-energy strategy,” enabling manufacturing of electric and gas versions of the same vehicles to be built in the same facilities. Most of the money will roll into the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (SHAP), where the upcoming 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger, an EV truck with a gas-powered range extender, will be built alongside the all-combustion engine versions of the pickup.
Much of the investment will help EV and gas Ram trucks coexist on the same assembly line
SHAP will also be Stellantis’ first US plant to build a fully electric vehicle, specifically the all-electric Ram 1500 REV, which is slated for delivery by the end of the year.
Investment is also going toward helping retool the Warren Truck Assembly Plant to support the production of a future electric Jeep Wagoneer (perhaps the Wagoneer S), one of four EV models under the brand planned for launch before the end of 2025. Internal combustion Jeeps, including the Wagoneer, Wagoneer L, Grand Wagoneer, and Grand Wagoneer L, will be built on the same lines.
The last share of the investment will go to the Dundee Engine Plant, where Stellantis plans to retool the facility so it can weld and test battery trays for its STLA Frame architecture for production in 2024. STLA underpins the Ram 1500 REV, Jeep Wagoneer S, Dodge Charger Daytona, and other EVs under Stellantis.
And for 2026, the plant will also machine the frame’s front and rear beams. The facility is also building gas engines like the GME-T4 EVO for later this year, along with other engines and hybrid parts for launch in 2025.
Separate from the new investment, Stellantis is also receiving federal funding to revive idled plants in Indiana and Illinois, part of a $1.7 billion pool the Biden administration announced in July.
