DETROIT – When Stellantis merged with Fiat Chrysler, it didn’t waiver on the deal with the city of Detroit to revitalize not only the Mack Assembly Plant but the surrounding area.
Local 4 has followed the plant’s revitalization for the past few years. From the 2019 job fairs for Detroiters to the approval of the tax incentives, new construction and revitalization of the east side neighborhood around the plant.
On Wednesday, Stellantis premiered a documentary showing the progress.
Read: Stellantis CEO discusses where company is headed, how it’ll cope with the changes in the industry
“Lots of employers who’ve made big promises and they haven’t played out. We did work to ensure that Detroiters saw Stellantis as a company of its word,” said Nicole Sherard-Freeman, group executive of Jobs, Economy and Detroit At Work.
The plant, which is building Jeep Grand Cherokees, is running three eight-hour shifts Monday through Friday. About 2,100 Detroiters -- many from the neighborhood -- filled the new jobs. The plant has 5,000 new workers total.
“I think it’s helping and when any company comes in, it helps raise all of us up,” said Fernando Tinoco, who works at the Mack plant.
In addition to the investment of the neighborhoods, Stellantis is partnering with Southeastern High School, training students and offering internships.
Stellantis: 98% of models to be electric or hybrid by 2025
Stellantis is a little late to the global electric vehicle party, but on Thursday it pledged to catch up and pass its competitors.
CEO Carlos Tavares says that by 2025, 98% of its models in Europe and North America will have fully electric or plug-in gas-electric hybrid versions. He says the company that combined Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot is developing four fully electric vehicle platforms with ranges from 500 kilometers (311 miles) to 800 kilometers (497 miles).
It also will have three electric drive modules to power all of its vehicles, and Stellantis will take advantage of its scale to reduce electric vehicle costs. The company expects to reduce battery costs by more than 40% from 2020 to 2024 with two new battery chemistries. It plans to introduce solid-state battery technology by 2026 that can store more energy than current versions.