Stellantis, Jeep’s parent company, is halting all production at the company’s Brampton Assembly Plant, per Automotive News. This includes the production of the new Jeep Compass SUV, according to a spokesperson. Per a source, Jeep is planning for a short delay while it decides what will be next for the upcoming Compass in March.
Jeep Mulls The Fate Of The Compass
“…the company is temporarily pausing work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at the Brampton Assembly Plant. This does not change our previously announced investment plans for Brampton.”
Jeep seems to still be sticking with some aspects of the Compass’ original production plan, including offering a number of powertrains, saying it will offer “customers a range of vehicles with flexible powertrain options to best meet their needs.” Per the unnamed source, production for the initial Compass models was actually set to begin a month ago, on January 20, but production was pushed back to May as of last October. Jeep retooled the facility specifically for the Compass, and at significant cost.
Jeep May Not Build The Electric Compass
The Brampton facility used to make the Chrysler 300, and Dodge’s Challenger and Charger prior to its retooling, and Stellantis took money from the Canadian government to help pay for the retooling. Stellantis has told the Canadian government it intends to follow through on the investment. Stellantis’ investment will allow the plant to produce vehicles that ride on the STLA Medium platform that will underpin vehicles equipped with a range of engines, including conventional internal-combustion powertrains and electrified ones alike.
However, the Compass may not make use of electrification as planned. AN’s source believes that Stellantis is allegedly “reevaluating whether a battery-electric Jeep Compass makes sense for the North American market.”
TopSpeed’s Take
It is almost daily that news breaks of another automaker reevaluating its plans for electrified models. Stellantis and Jeep are the latest in a long line, and the future of a multi-energy Compass is now in doubt. At this rate, it is more likely Jeep will debut a new Compass in a few months equipped with traditional gasoline powertrains alongside a hybrid model using its 4xe branding, which the automaker also uses for hybrid powertrains in models like the Wrangler and
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