Stellantis just announced a raft of major investments, along with upcoming product plans.
It’s probably one of the worst-kept secrets currently buzzing around the auto industry: Ram is planning a new midsize truck. Let’s not forget, it has smaller trucks in other markets, and the brand has desperately needed something to take some market share away from the dominant Toyota Tacoma. Well, Stellantis made a major announcement in that direction Tuesday, citing $13 billion in forthcoming investments into U.S. manufacturing over the next four years — along with a curious announcement of where it plans to build its next midsize truck: Toledo, Ohio.
“With an investment of nearly $400 million, assembly of an all-new midsize truck, previously allocated to the Belvidere plant, plans to move to the Toledo Assembly Complex, where it will join the Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator” (emphasis added). That sentence tracks with our previous reporting on the matter, as earlier UAW white papers suggested Ram would build its midsize truck at the Belvidere plant. Now, though, Stellantis is fully dedicating the Illinois facility to the new Jeep Cherokee (fitting, as that’s where it built the old one) as well as the smaller Compass.
To be clear, Stellantis did not outright confirm that the new midsize truck will be a Ram midsize truck just yet. However, that’s the most blindingly obvious, indirectly stated portion of the company’s announcement.
Stellantis says the production shift will create more than 900 manufacturing jobs at the Toledo complex. That said, the move also shifts the production timing back once again. The automaker now says this new, as-yet-unnamed midsize truck will launch production in 2028. That trounces earlier information that it might come in 2027, so we’ll have to wait yet another year for Ram to jump back into the midsize segment with what could be the fourth-generation Dakota.
Stellantis’ other truck (SUV) investment plans
The company also covered three other states in its investment roadmap, in addition to the Toledo, Ohio plant. Another chunk of that cash — $100 million, to be exact — will go toward the Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Michigan. This assembly currently builds the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer (and just the Grand Wagoneer moving forward).
“Stellantis plans to develop an all-new range-extended EV and internal combustion engine large SUV that will be produced at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant beginning in 2028”, the company says in its official statement. The money is earmarked to retool the facility to build this SUV, though we don’t know exactly what it is just yet. Will it be the next-generation Jeep Grand Wagoneer, or will it be a full-size SUV under another brand, like Chrysler or Dodge?
Whatever it is, Stellantis says this move will add another 900 jobs to the Warren plant’s payroll. While the Ram midsize truck is a dead lock for the company’s Ohio plan, it’s still a bit of a mystery exactly what it’s planning here. Rumors have buzzed that Dodge may bring in a larger SUV to slot above the Durango — possibly using the Ramcharger name, which the automaker freed up in jettisoning its fully electric Ram truck and renaming the range-extended model to the “REV”, rather than Ramcharger. Again, that is speculation at this point — Stellantis has not confirmed that rumor, and we probably won’t hear anything official on that full-size SUV for a good while yet.
Stellantis further announced $130 million for the Detroit Assembly Complex, which will go toward building the next-generation Dodge Durango. If you’re holding your breath for a new Durango to finally arrive, though, you may want to exhale…it’s not coming until 2029.
On the car side, the automaker said it would invest $100 million into its Kokomo, Indiana facilities to produce a next-generation four-cylinder engine. More than $600 million will go into the aforementioned Belvidere, Illinois plant to prepare for Jeep Cherokee and Compass production. While the Cherokee will initially be produced in Toluca, Mexico, the company plans to repatriate production of that SUV and build the next-gen Compass in Illinois in 2027.
While all those investments don’t come close to the overall $13 billion figure, the automaker says that overall investment also includes research and development, as well as supplier costs to execute all these launches over the next four years.
