On the Dash:
- Stellantis now plans to build the next-generation Jeep Cherokee at Belvidere beginning in 2028.
- STLA One will support more than 30 Stellantis vehicles and more than 2 million units by 2035.
- The new platform is designed to lower production costs and support multiple vehicle sizes and powertrains.
The Detroit automaker, Stellantis, has once again postponed the reopening of its Belvidere Assembly Plant, now targeting 2028 for pilot production to begin, with retail sales following in the second half of 2029. Stellantis will build the next-generation Jeep Cherokee at Belvidere on the automaker’s new STLA One platform, and the company plans to use this architecture across more than 30 vehicles as part of its strategy to boost profitability and global competitiveness.
STLA One consolidates five of Stellantis’ existing platforms into a single, scalable architecture built to support B-, C- and D-segment vehicles. Stellantis plans to launch the platform globally in 2027, starting with the Peugeot 208 in Spain, and expects it to underpin more than 30 models and over 2 million vehicles worldwide by 2035.
Additionally, the automaker says STLA One will lift cost efficiency by up to 20% compared to its current platform mix. This scalable architecture can accommodate various vehicle sizes and multiple powertrains, and the platform will integrate Stellantis’ STLA Brain and STLA Smart Cockpit technologies.
Notably, the Belvidere plant has sat idle since February 2023, and Stellantis has repeatedly revised its plans for the facility’s future. The automaker originally slated Belvidere to build Ram’s midsize Dakota pickup, but it has since shifted the plant’s assignment to the Jeep Cherokee, along with the Jeep Compass. Thousands of employees have remained on layoff or transferred to other plants since Belvidere closed.
