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The global car behemoth might be offloading its stake in a massive electric vehicle battery plant in Canada — but Stellantis isn’t giving up on electrification altogether.
The company sent shockwaves through the automotive world on Friday when it revealed a 22 billion Euro hit as a result of a broad pullback on its once ambitious electric vehicle plans.
“The reset we have announced today is part of the decisive process we started in 2025, to once again make our customers and their preferences our guiding star,” CEO Antonio Filosa said in a statement.
The automaker also announced plans to sell its 49 per cent share of NextStar Energy, the joint venture it formed with South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution to build the $5-billion battery facility in Windsor, Ont.
But locally and beyond, the company isn’t totally giving up on low-emissions technology. Stellantis says it’s keeping hundreds of engineers it hired in Windsor in recent years, in large part to work on EV and battery technology research.
Stellantis’ commitment to maintain the staff in Canada’s car capital comes as anxiety over the future of the country’s automotive sector persists, in large part because of the Trump administration’s tariffs on the cross-border industry, but also because of the shifting market for EVs in North America.
Back in 2022, Stellantis announced a $3.6-billion investment in its Ontario operations to transition to EV production. The federal and provincial governments said they would chip in up to $1 billion more combined in public funding.
The money was for the Windsor and Brampton assembly plants, but also for Stellantis’ Automotive Research and Development Centre (ARDC) in Windsor.
“Stellantis’ investment will support the creation of a state-of-the-art Battery Pack Testing Facility for North America at the [ARDC], which will further secure Canada’s position as a leader in EV innovation,” the Prime Minister’s Office said at the time.
Stellantis shook up Windsor’s auto scene on Friday with the revelation that it’s selling its stake in the NextStar Energy battery plant. But the global carmaker isn’t pulling back on all EV initiatives — including its battery research facility. CBC Windsor’s Emma Loop explains.
Since then, Stellantis says it’s hired 650 people as part of the ARDC expansion, bringing the total staff to 800 — and none of those jobs will be affected by Friday’s news, a spokesperson says.
“There is no change to the electrification/battery testing work being done at the ARDC related to the NextStar Energy announcement,” Lou Ann Gosselin, Stellantis’ head of communications in Canada, said in an email.
“Our engineering team at the ARDC have a role in the development and testing of virtually every Stellantis vehicle sold in North America and many that are sold worldwide,” she wrote. “Their work expands to all powertrains, not just EV.”
The battery lab is still happening as well, Gosselin said, and will be the first of its kind in North America, “following the company’s announcement to establish a similar centre in Turin, Italy.”
The facility “will be a state-of-the-art technology centre for the development and validation of advanced” battery cells, modules, and packs for battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid-electric vehicles, she said.
Despite the broader pullback, the company also continues to offer a range of powertrains on some of its vehicles — including the Windsor-built Dodge Charger, which is available in both gas-powered and fully electric versions.
On Monday, Stellantis also announced it’s hiring for more than 20 new positions in sales and marketing across Canada.
“It’s shaping up to be a big year for the company, and this recruitment push marks an important moment as we scale our Canadian operations,” a spokesperson said.
