BELVIDERE, Ill. (WTVO) — Automaker Stellantis on Thursday announced that nearly 165 employees who were laid off when the Belvidere Assembly Plant was idled in February have returned to full-time positions this week.
According to a company spokesperson, the employees are working for Mopar, Stellantis’ parts and service division, at a Belvidere warehouse.
About 115 employees are already working at the parts distribution center, and the remaining employees are completing training in Chicago with the intent to transition to Belvidere next week.
“It has always been our goal to find full-time employment opportunities for the Belvidere workforce,” said Mark Stewart, Stellantis North America COO. “This is a great first step in our plans to restore operations in this community and provide meaningful, high-paying jobs with excellent benefits for those who are still on layoff and, eventually, for many who want to return home.”
As part of its contract negotiation with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, Stellantis has committed to invest nearly $5 billion to retool the Belvidere Assembly Plant for new production, which includes a midsize pickup truck, adjacent electric vehicle battery plant, and an Amazon-styled Mopar parts distribution center.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Stellantis plans to invest $4.8 billion in Belvidere.
Of that, $1.5 billion will be used to retool the factory to produce 100,000 units of an all-new pickup truck over two shifts, beginning in 2027.
The company will reportedly spend $3.2 billion to build an EV battery plant. In July, Stellantis said Illinois had purchased 170 acres of land next to the idled Belvidere plant prior to the union contract expiration. The plant is expected to create 1,300 jobs and launch in 2028. Stellantis said it was part of a joint venture with a yet-unidentified business partner.
Stellantis will invest another $100 million to create a “megahub” parts distribution center for its Mopar brand parts. Stellantis’ plan would shut existing Mopar parts and distribution centers across the country and consolidate them into larger “Amazon-like” distribution centers. Stellantis is expected to begin stamping operations for supply parts in 2025.
The Belvidere plant opened as a Chrysler factory in 1965, manufacturing the Plymouth Fury. When it was idled in 2023, it was making the Jeep Cherokee.
Stellantis was formed by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot in 2021.
By: John Clark
