Stellantis is scaling back at multiple Michigan production facilities amid slow sales and other factors, although the number of employees impacted remains unclear.

Stellantis will halt production at its Mack and Jefferson North plants in Detroit beginning next week in an effort officials said is aimed at smoothing a transition to a new 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee model scheduled to debut later this year, The Detroit News reports.

Spokeswoman Ann Marie Fortunate told the news site the Mack facility will also take a week off on May 19, while others in Michigan and Mexico remain at idle.

“To support a successful launch and ensure the highest build quality of the new model, we are extending production of the 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee at the Detroit Assembly Complex plants,” Fortunate said. “As a result, both Mack and Jefferson will observe a down week the week of April 28.”

In addition to the Grand Cherokee, Stellantis produces Dodge Durango SUVs at those facilities, and both models have had slow first quarter sales in 2025. Stellantis sold 48,465 Grand Cherokees and 13,701 Durangos, down 11% and 9% over the last year, respectively, according to CBT News, an auto industry publication.

The coming pause in Detroit follows several others at Stellantis facilities elsewhere, including the Warren Truck Assembly plant that produces the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer.

The company shut down that facility to divert incoming Hurricane engines to better selling Ram 1500 pickups at its Sterling Heights Assembly plant amid supply chain issues with the engine, and it’s not expected to return to production until early May.

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Stellantis has also idled plants in Windsor, Canada, and Toluca, Mexico, with the former returning to production after a two week pause, and the latter expected to remain idled through the end of the month.

In Canada, the shutdown “affected nearly 4,500 workers at the main plant, plus another 2,000 across local parts suppliers and feeder plants,” according to Mopar Insiders. “Those five feeder facilities, which supply everything from interiors to drivetrain components, also had to shut down, impacting over 1,250 employees.”

The Stellantis’ shutdowns in Mexico and Canada led to the temporary layoffs of 900 employees at U.S. powertrain and stamping facilities.

With production resuming in Canada, “more than half of the employees from Sterling Stamping, Indiana Transmission, Kokomo Transmission and Kokomo Casting who were on temporary layoff when production was paused the week of April 7 also will return to work to support the Windsor operations,” according to a Stellantis statement cited by The News.

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The Stellantis slowdown in Michigan follows numerous layoffs in the auto industry that intensified in 2024 and have carried into 2025, contributing to the fastest growing unemployment rate in the nation.

Compared to the same month a year ago, there were 69,000 more unemployed residents in the Great Lakes State in March, a 32.9% increase. The same month, Michigan’s unemployment rate hit 5.5%, second only to Nevada at 5.7%.

Data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows Michigan’s job losses are continuing into April with a 38% increase to 6,500 new unemployment claims the week ending April 12 compared to a year ago.

Many of the job losses are tied to Michigan’s critical manufacturing industry, and the automotive industry in particular.

In an April 9 notice, Tribar Technologies announced it will close two auto finishing facilities in Wixom, and consolidate operations in Howell, laying off 188 workers by June 8.

Electric vehicle battery manufacturer Akasol Inc. will also cut 188 employees as it closes two facilities in Hazel Park and Warren by July, when it’s moving operations to South Carolina.

Those closures follow the decision by Michigan Spring & Stamping in February to shut down its Muskegon operations after 79 years as a “significant player” in the state’s automotive industry.

“They were a relevant supplier not just simply for GM, but other OEMs and their suppliers,” General Manager Gene Kohut told Crain’s Business Grand Rapids.