To this end, the auto giant is going to restart the “paused” plant in Belvidire (Illinois), where Jeep production was previously established Cherokee.
Rumors that the young auto giant Stellantis is going to stop the operation of the plant in the American Belvidir appeared back in January of this year. At the end of February, the assembly plant where the fifth-generation Jeep Cherokee rolled off the assembly line was “paused.” At the same time, reports appeared that the concern would have to terminate employment contracts with approximately 1.2 thousand employees.
This decision of Stellantis, of course, did not like the United Auto Workers (UAW) union; as a result, the multi-brand auto giant had to make concessions and enter into an agreement with the organization, as well as search for options not to close the plant in Belvidire (Illinois) .
Pictured: Ram Rampage pickup
Judging by the official statement of UAW Vice President Rich Boyer, this solution was finally found. According to him, the union “saved Belvidir again”; He also added that the company will begin production of a mid-size pickup truck, and production will take place in two shifts. It is noted that the plant’s employees will gradually be reinstated at work, in addition, Stellantis will create over a thousand more jobs at this site, which will be required to develop battery production.
It is still unknown what kind of pickup truck will be installed on the conveyor belt of the restarted plant in Belvidir. One might assume that the role of a new product for the North American market will be taken by the Ram Rampage, which debuted last summer. The model, intended for the South American market, was developed jointly by Ram engineers from Brazil and the United States, and is manufactured at the Stellantis site in Brazil.
In the photo: Ram Rampage interior
Previously, the Ram Rampage was repeatedly seen testing in the States, but this car was not officially announced for the home market, at least not yet. In addition, the truck technically belongs to the compact truck segment and competes with the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. In turn, the future new product was designated as a “mid-size pickup.”
Recall that according to the auto giant’s plan, next year the full-size electric pickup Ram 1500 REV will enter the North American market. Later, three more electrified trucks of different sizes are promised to arrive (they may turn out to be either hybrids or with fully electric systems). In addition, they want to offer one of the pickup trucks in the United States with a hydrogen power plant.
Pictured: Ram 1500 REV
It is possible that the announced mid-size pickup will have both a hybrid and a fully “ green” filling, considering that the same plant in Belvidir will now produce traction batteries. This truck is likely based on the STLA Large platform, while the Ram 1500 REV is based on the STLA Frame. The battery capacity should vary from 101 to 118 kWh, and the range without recharging can exceed 800 km.
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