Conner Avenue Assembly is a

Stellantis North America Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automotiv ...

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded ...

factory in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. The factory opened in 1966 and was originally operated by

spark plug A spark plug (sometimes, in British English, a sparking plug, and, colloquially, a plug) is a device for delivering electric current from an ignition system to the combustion chamber of a spark-ignition engine to ignite the compressed fuel/air ...

company

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, ...

. It was closed by

Cooper Industries Cooper Industries was an American worldwide electrical products manufacturer headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1833, the company had seven operating divisions including Bussmann electrical and electronic fuses; Crouse-Hinds and CEAG ex ...

in 1990 shortly after their acquisition of Champion. In 1995, Chrysler purchased the facility to assemble the

Dodge Viper The Dodge Viper is a sports car that was manufactured by Dodge (by SRT for 2013 and 2014), a division of American car manufacturer FCA US LLC from 1992 until 2017, having taken a brief hiatus in 2007 and from 2010 to 2012. Production of the two ...

; production began that October. Viper production moved from New Mack Assembly to Conner in October 1995 and

Plymouth Prowler The Plymouth Prowler, later the Chrysler Prowler, is a retro-styled production sports car manufactured and marketed from 1997 to 2002 by DaimlerChrysler, based on the 1993 concept car of the same name. The Prowler was offered in a single ...

production started in May 1997. The Viper's V10 engine was originally built at

Mound Road Engine Mound Road Engine was a Chrysler automobile engine factory in Detroit. Chrysler purchased the Mound Road Engine Plant from the Briggs Manufacturing Company in 1953. The plant was closed by DaimlerChrysler in 2002, with production shifting to the ...

but moved to Conner Avenue in May 2001. The facility had been out of use since 2010, when Viper production temporarily ceased, however the plant resumed operations in late 2012 to build the Viper again. On July 12, 2017,

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) was an Italian-American multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles, commercial vehicles, auto parts and production systems. The Italian holding company Exor was the largest s ...

(FCA) announced that due to the Viper's discontinuation, the plant would be shut down permanently on August 31. The factory's 86 workers were offered employment at other FCA sites. However, in 2018 FCA announced that the plant will be renamed the "Conner Center" and will serve as "an internal meeting and display space that will showcase the Company’s concept and historic vehicle collection," some of which was formerly hosted at the now-closed Walter P. Chrysler Museum in

Auburn Hills, Michigan Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. Before incorporating as a city in 1983, the area was part of the now-defunct Pontiac Township. It is home to Oakland Universi ...

. FCA envisions turning small Detroit plant into museum for car collection. Retrieved from http://www.autonews.com/article/20180321/RETAIL03/180329926/fca-viper-conner-plant-museum-auction

Vehicles produced

(1995–2010, 2012–2017) *

Chrysler Prowler Prowler may refer to: * "Prowler", a song by Iron Maiden from ''Iron Maiden'', 1980 * Prowler (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics superhero * ''The Prowler'' (1951 film), a film starring Van Heflin * "The Prowler" (''Australian Playhouse''), an ep ...

(2001–2002) *

(1997, 1999–2000) *

V10 engine A V10 engine is a ten- cylinder piston engine where two banks of five cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V10 engines are much less common than V8 and V12 engines. Several V10 diesel engines have been p ...

(1995–2003)

References

{{Coord, 42.4425756, -83.0171238, display=title Chrysler factories Economy of Detroit Motor vehicle assembly plants in Michigan 1966 establishments in Michigan