Stellantis in talks to make Chinese EVs at idle Brampton assembly plant: reports

American automaker Stellantis is in talks with a Chinese partner company that could lead to electric vehicles being built at the idle Brampton Assembly Plant, according to reports.

Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday that Stellantis, which employs around 3,000 workers in Brampton, and Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology are discussing options for building ​electric vehicles in Canada.

Those discussions were ​focused on the Stellantis plant in Brampton, which was shut down for retooling in 2024.

Insiders reportedly suggest the deal could be for assembly kits, with all the parts shipped from China before being assembled in Brampton.

Stellantis didn’t confirm or deny the talks with Zhejiang, but reportedly said it “is actively evaluating future ​programs for ⁠Brampton.”

The two companies have partnered on joint venture called Leapmotor International, and in 2023, Stellantis bought a 21 per cent stake in Leapmotor for $1.6 billion, Reuters reports.

READ MORE: Union ‘won’t let our guard down’ amid positive discussions about reopening Stellantis plant in Brampton

The Brampton factory was slated for production of the new Jeep Compass, but the company announced in October it was moving manufacturing to the U.S. despite years of assurances that the vehicles would be built in Canada.

More than 200 former workers at Brampton plant are now punching in at the American automaker’s Windsor facility, while other employees waiting to work are receiving less than three-quarters of their regular pay.

Some 20 other non-unionized workers will reportedly be laid off temporarily over the next year.

In an update to union members earlier this month, Unifor Local 1285 President Vito Beato said he and other union reps met with Stellantis Canada President Trevor Longley on Feb 12, and says the meeting went well despite no news on what the company’s “big plans for Brampton” might be.

The Stellantis plant property was gifted from the city to Chrysler back in the ‘80s before transitioning to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and eventually Stellantis. But a recent motion passed by Brampton City Council means the property can only be used for auto sector jobs – a move that could “make sure those jobs come back to our city,” Mayor Patrick Brown has said.

Beato has called on Stellantis to “stop appeasing the U.S. government” and make decisions within its auto strategy that benefit the Brampton plant.