Windsor plant to add third production shift

A third shift at Stellantis' Windsor plant starts Tuesday, raising the workforce to about 6,000 and including 250 workers moved from the idled Brampton plant. The shift was delayed by tariff concerns and is being added as minivan sales have risen.

Stellantis is adding a third production shift at its Windsor, Ont., plant that starts Tuesday. The change raises the factory head count to about 6,000, including 250 workers transferred from the idled Brampton plant. Windsor assembles Dodge Chargers in gas and electric versions, and minivans: the Chrysler Grand Caravan for the Canadian market and the Chrysler Pacifica for the North American market. The new shift had been planned for last fall but was delayed as automakers grappled with U.S. tariffs; it is being added amid rising minivan sales. Key details: - The third production shift begins Tuesday and increases Windsor's workforce to about 6,000, including 250 transfers from Brampton. - Windsor builds Dodge Chargers (gas and electric) and the Chrysler Grand Caravan and Pacifica minivans. - The shift was delayed from last fall as the industry dealt with U.S. tariffs on Canadian-made cars. - Minivan sales rose 40% in Canada to 43,000 in 2025 and rose 21% in the U.S., according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants. - The federal government has served Stellantis a notice of default, launched a dispute process over the company's move of some production to Illinois, and said it is evaluating recovering public funds. Summary: The added shift brings more jobs to Windsor amid broader uncertainty in the Canadian auto sector caused by tariffs and weaker EV demand. Ottawa has signalled it may seek repayment of public funds tied to production and jobs and has opened a dispute process. Stellantis says it is in talks with the federal government about the future of the plants, and negotiators are preparing for the USMCA review in July.