Brampton Assembly Plant is a

Stellantis Canada Stellantis Canada (formerly, FCA Canada, Inc. and Chrysler Canada) is the wholly owned subsidiary of Stellantis through its North American division operating in Canada. Incorporated in 1925, the Chrysler Corporation of Canada acquired a Maxwell ...

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

factory located at 2000 Williams Parkway East

Brampton, Ontario Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

, Canada. Originally built by

American Motors Corporation American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the mergers and acquisitions, merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 19 ...

(AMC) for US$260 million, in the Bramalea area of Brampton, the manufacturing plant was specially designed for building the

Eagle Premier The Eagle Premier is a full-size executive car that was developed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) during the 1980s through its partnership with Renault. This model was manufactured in the then-brand-new Brampton Assembly in Canada. Chry ...

. Its role since has primarily been to assemble full-sized Chrysler products. It was originally opened as the "Bramalea Assembly" under American Motors. At the time, AMC had another facility in Brampton that was known as " Brampton Assembly" which was located at Kennedy Road and

Steeles Avenue Steeles Avenue is an east–west street that stretches across the western and central Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Running from Appleby Line in Milton in the west to the Scarborough-Pickering Townline in the east, where it continue ...

. It had been built and operated from 1961 until 1992 under American Motors and later Chrysler, assembling American Motors and

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...

vehicles. As the previous facility was shut down and sold off for warehouse use in 1992, Chrysler called the new Bramalea Assembly the Brampton Assembly.

History

American Motors

In June 1984,

American Motors American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the mergers and acquisitions, merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 19 ...

(AMC) established an agreement with the governments of Ontario and Canada to build a new assembly plant. Both the national and provincial governments loaned AMC each to build the facility. The agreement also included a royalty to the government equal to 1% of the sales price of every vehicle produced at the facility. The infrastructure builder

EllisDon EllisDon is an employee-owned construction services company that was founded and incorporated in 1951 in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, by brothers Don and David Ellis Smith. The company is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canad ...

Construction completed the US$260 million (US$ in dollars ) plant and associated buildings. The factory was opened by AMC in 1986 as "Bramalea Assembly", a state-of-the-art

robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

-based assembly facility with of floor space located on specifically designed to produce the

. The production line speed was initially about 400 cars per shift (54 jobs per hour) with only one shift scheduled. There were frequent layoffs at this new factory, while AMC's old Brampton plant, located at Kennedy Road, worked steadily to produce

Jeep Wrangler The Jeep Wrangler is a series of compact and mid-size four-wheel drive off-road SUVs manufactured by Jeep since 1986, and currently in its fourth generation. The Wrangler JL, the most recent generation, was unveiled in late 2017 and is produced ...

Chrysler - Stellantis

This facility was acquired (along with the rest of AMC) by Chrysler in August 1987. The factory was ranked top in Chrysler's 1988 quality audit of cars produced in each of the automaker's plants. Production of the

Chrysler LH platform The LH platform served as the basis for the Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler LHS, Chrysler 300M, Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision, and the final Chrysler New Yorker. A Plymouth to be called the "Accolade" was planned, but never saw production. The platf ...

cars began in June 1992 and continued with the updated LH cars in 1997. Production switched to the

rear-wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-whee ...

Chrysler LX platform cars in January 2004. The retooling for the LX platform was described as "a low-budget effort", as Chrysler was experiencing some hardships at the time. Robots in the body shop were hand-me-downs from other plants. The paint shop was said to be the oldest FiatChrysler had in North America at that time. The attached "Brampton Satellite Stamping", which opened in 1991, was built for the launch of the

. At that time, Brampton Assembly operated with three shifts of production. It is the city of Brampton's largest employer, with over 4,200 people working there. On 19 July 2007, Chrysler Group announced an investment of

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

1.2 billion in the Brampton plant for upgrades to the Chrysler 300 series, Dodge Magnum, and Dodge Charger, as well as a $500 million manufacturing investment to prepare for European-market LX platform product loading. On 16 August 2007, the one-millionth LX rear-wheel-drive vehicle platform rolled-off Brampton Assembly's production line. On 1 November 2007, Chrysler announced that it was ending the third shift in Brampton, with the loss of 1,000 direct jobs, and declared that production of the Dodge Magnum in Brampton would end in early 2008. On 1 May 2009, both the Brampton Assembly and

Windsor Assembly Windsor Assembly Plant (WAP) is a Stellantis Canada automobile factory in Windsor, Ontario. The factory opened in 1928 and Chrysler minivans production began in 1983. Windsor Assembly is Windsor's largest employer. The plant currently operates two ...

plants were shut down as a result of

Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...

's bankruptcy protection filing on 30 April 2009, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, affecting about 2,700 employees at the Brampton Assembly and 4,400 at the Windsor Assembly. A Chrysler parts plant in

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River (Ontario), Humber River, on the ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

operated until 10 May 2009, when it was closed down for 30 to 60 days, affecting 300 employees, while the company through restructuring under court-ordered creditor protection. After the reorganization, Chrysler announced the launch of new models of the 300 and Charger to be produced in the Brampton assembly plant, beginning in 2010. The factory began production of the redesigned 2011 Chrysler 300 in January 2011. At this time, total employment was 2,871 (2,733 hourly; 138 salaried), working two shifts. In 2012, employees at the Chrysler factories in Windsor and Brampton, Ontario ratified the CAW's labor agreement by an overwhelming majority, without any information from the automaker about plans for new products or investment at either plant. As of December 2012, the Brampton Assembly Plant is the single largest employer in Canada's 11th largest city. On 19 August 2014, the first Challenger SRT Hellcat (VIN #700001) rolled off the assembly line. It sold at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas auction for $825,000 to benefit Opportunity Village, a non-profit charity for those with intellectual disabilities in the Las Vegas area. Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, bought the 707-hp "pony car" for his collection. The plant earned "bronze status" in 2015 for its work in implementing "World Class Manufacturing" (WCM), a "methodology that focuses on eliminating waste, increasing productivity, and improving quality and safety in a systematic and organized way." Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced in May 2019 plans for investments in new and existing assembly plants in Michigan "after intense political pressure in the U.S. to increase domestic manufacturing." This strategy could be an opportunity for Canadian parts suppliers, but also mean cuts in production at FCA's facilities in Ontario that include Brampton Assembly. Although there is still demand for the models produced by Brampton Assembly, "the market has gone really soft for cars, especially for sedans" and future FCA products may not use the platform currently made for the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Challenger. As of 2021, the facility may see a new generation of the LX platform or be converted to making batteries for the automaker given its proximity to other Stellantis facilities. Because the property is in a rapidly expanding suburb of Toronto, the increasing traffic congestion impeeds shipments while the outright sale of the land would make it excellent for housing development. In 2022, Stellantis announced a $2.8 billion (3.6 billion Canadian dollars) investment, thus preserving the futures of its Canadian operations in Windsor and Brampton assembly plants. This includes Brampton Assembly Plant making a transition to new "flexible architecture" for the company's electrification plans. Further changes were released that production of its new STLA Large platform cars will be in Windsor with Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Challenger assembly ending at Brampton in 2024." The Brampton plant will then undergo retooling and modernizing to be "flexible, multi-energy vehicle assembly facilities" to "produce the electric vehicles of the future." During August 2023, Stellantis held an event for select visitors to provide a final tour of the Brampton Assembly Plant. This open house by invitation commemorated the "birthplace of automotive legends for decades" starting from 1986 and Chrysler's purchase of the factory in 1987. The facility will transform in 2024 with the production of flexible electrified automobile designs scheduled in 2025. Professional automotive journalists were able to order vehicles and see them being built. The ratification of the contract with Stellantis by the

Canadian Auto Workers The National Automobile, Aerospace, Transportation and General Workers Union of Canada, commonly known as the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), was one of Canada's largest labour unions. In 2013, it merged with the Communications, Energy and Paperwork ...

calls for Brampton Assembly to be retooled for the next-generation Jeep Compass that has been built in Toluca, Mexico. Stellantis is planning a US$970 million (1.32 billion Canadian-dollar) investment so that Brampton can build cars with internal combustion engines as well as battery-electric vehicles. Plans are for the plant to start building the new Jeep Compass on a single shift in the fourth quarter of 2025. The union agreement also includes the installation of air conditioning systems for the plant, a requirement that mandatory shift changes be announced by Wednesday of the week before the change, and also study the possibility of having day-care on-site.

Future production

*2026–present

Jeep Compass The Jeep Compass is a compact crossover SUV, introduced in 2006 for the 2007 model year. The first generation Compass and Patriot, its rebadged variant, were among Jeep's first crossover SUVs. The second-generation Compass debuted in Septem ...

Former products

*1988–1992

*1990–1992

Dodge Monaco The Dodge Monaco is an automobile that was marketed by the Dodge division of Chrysler Corporation. Introduced as the flagship of the Dodge product line, the Monaco was introduced for the 1965 model year to replace the Custom 880, then later joined ...

*1993–1997 Eagle Vision *1993–2004

Chrysler Concorde The Chrysler Concorde is a full-size car that was produced by Chrysler from 1992 to 2004. It assumed the C-body Chrysler New Yorker Salon's position as the entry-level full-size sedan in the Chrysler brand lineup. One of Chrysler's three or ...

*1993–2004

Dodge Intrepid The Dodge Intrepid is a full-sized front-wheel drive four-door sedan that was produced by Dodge for the 1993 to 2004 model years. It is related to the Chrysler 300M, Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler LHS, Chrysler New Yorker, and Eagle Vision whic ...

*1994–1996

Chrysler New Yorker The Chrysler New Yorker is an automobile model produced by Chrysler (division), Chrysler from 1940 until 1996, serving for several decades as either the brand's flagship model or as a junior sedan to the Chrysler Imperial, the latter during the y ...

*1994–2001

Chrysler LHS The Chrysler LHS is a Full-size car, full-size Luxury vehicle, luxury four-door sedan that was produced by Chrysler (division), Chrysler for the 1994 through the 2001 model years, with a one-year hiatus for 1998. It replaced the Chrysler Imperial ...

*1999–2004

Chrysler 300M The Chrysler 300M is a full-size luxury car that was produced by Daimler AG, Daimler/Chrysler from 1999 to 2004. It is a front-wheel drive, V6 engined car using the Chrysler LH platform. Versus its platform mates, the 300M was roughly shorter ...

*2005–2008

Dodge Magnum The Dodge Magnum is a nameplate used by several Dodge vehicles, at different times and on various markets. The name was first applied to a large Chrysler B platform-based 2-door coupe marketed from 1978 to 1979 sold in the United States and Canad ...

*2011–2014

Lancia Thema The Lancia Thema (Type 834) is an executive car produced by the Italian automaker Lancia between 1984 and 1994, and one of four cars to share the Type Four platform alongside the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Saab 9000. The Thema was first sh ...

*2005–2023

Chrysler 300 The Chrysler 300 is a full-size car manufactured and marketed by Stellantis North America and its predecessor companies. It was available as a four-door sedan and station wagon in its first generation (model years 2005–2010), and solely as ...

*2006–2023

Dodge Charger The Dodge Charger is a model of automobile marketed by Dodge in various forms over eight generations since 1966. The first Charger was a show car in 1964. A 1965 Charger II concept car resembled the 1966 production version. In the United Sta ...

*2008–2023

Dodge Challenger The Dodge Challenger is the name of three generations of automobiles produced by the American automobile manufacturer Dodge. However, the first use of the Challenger name by Dodge dates back to 1959 for marketing a "value version" of the full- ...

Annual production

*1988 = 59,068 *1989 = 33,904 *1990 = 24,676 *1991 = 18,133 *1992 = 50,660 *1993 = 256,754 *1994 = 256,211 *1995 = 188,782 *1996 = 238,965 *1997 = 204,137 *1998 = 300,866 *1999 = 338,921 *2000 = 291,884 *2001 = 198,965 *2002 = 201,723 *2003 = 140,642 *2004 = 209,045 *2005 = 318,536 *2006 = 314,161 *2007 = 273,285 *2008 = 210,704 *2009 = 121,715 (reduced numbers due to Chrysler's bankruptcy that Year) *2010 = 163,257 *2011 = 194,631 *2012 = 240,193 *2013 = 244,771 *2014 = 222,829 *2015 = 253,230 *2016 = 237,483 *2017 = 231,816 *2018 = 233,261 *2019 = 202,447 *2020 = 155,552 (reduced numbers due to COVID-19 pandemic) *2021 = 146,423 (reduced numbers due to global microchip shortage) *2022 = 165,819 (reduced numbers due to global microchip shortage) *2023 = 204,439 Total production through 2023 = 7,147,888

Notes

External links

* * {{Stellantis American Motors Chrysler factories Motor vehicle assembly plants in Canada