A top Stellantis NV executive told employees Wednesday that the automaker will build the next-generation Dodge Durango SUV in Detroit and a midsize pickup truck at the currently closed assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois.

Both of those manufacturing sites had been mentioned in the company's 2023 contract with the United Auto Workers, but the union said months ago that it believed the company was reneging on the commitments to allocate products there. Union officials said the company was looking to build the Durango in Canada, and they had raised concerns that delays reopening Belvidere for the pickup might result in its eventual cancellation. It filed grievances with the company over the issues and threatened to strike, efforts that have now been pulled back.

The Wednesday letter from North America Chief Operating Officer Antonio Filosa to employees also said Stellantis planned investments at the Toledo Assembly Complex and at its Kokomo, Indiana, facilities.

Filosa confirmed that Stellantis Chairman John Elkann had met with President Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration Monday, where he shared the company's "enthusiasm for his strong commitment to the United States auto industry and all that this means for American jobs and the broader economy."

"John told the President that building on our proud, more than 100-year history in the U.S., we plan to continue that legacy by further strengthening our U.S. manufacturing footprint and providing stability for our great American workforce," Filosa wrote.

Staff from the UAW and Stellantis had met Tuesday evening to discuss details of the renewed plant investment plans ahead of Wednesday's announcement to employees by Filosa.

Stellantis re-upping its U.S. investment commitments comes just as Trump continues to threaten new tariffs on Mexico and Canada, partly in a bid to force companies to manufacture more goods domestically. The automaker has long had a large manufacturing presence in both neighbor countries, and the UAW repeatedly raised concerns in recent months that Stellantis was planning to move much more of its footprint outside the U.S.

Now though, Filosa said in the letter, the company is committed to "grow our auto production and manufacturing here" in the U.S. Stellantis had a tough 2024 with sharply falling sales and profits, and Filosa told reporters at the recent Detroit Auto Show that a key part of the transatlantic company's turnaround would be a renewed focus on the U.S. market, a key profit driver.

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