The president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association believes Chrysler's shift to electric vehicles could be what Windsor needs to bring life back to the automotive industry.
As heard on AM800 Wednesday, the company announced it would it would go all electric by 2028.
Flavio Volpe says this signals Chrysler's commitment to shift away from gas-powered cars and the Windsor Assembly Plant should be part of the transformation.
He says former company head Sergio Marchionne dabbled in electric vehicles, but new Stellantis leadership is ready to dive in.
"When he was running the company he was a visionary leader, but at that time FCA was non-committal for lots of reasons to EV," he continued. "The new Stellantis is and I'm hoping that that means a lot of practical good news for the Windsor plant and what the next couple of generations of product would be."
Volpe says this could be the announcement assembly plant employees have been waiting for.
"It used to be that Chrysler was one of the big three. Now it's part of this global powerhouse with Stellantis and they're recommitting to Detroit and Windsor. If they're committing to that brand, they're committing to the equity that they can pull back out of it and it's synonymous with the area," he said.
He believes more good news could be coming soon.
"It doesn't make sense to make Chryslers in Italy or in France or in other parts of the global footprint of Stellantis, but it really makes sense to reinvest into the glory days and that's the exciting part for Windsor for me, I think."
Chrysler plans to launch its first electric vehicle by 2025 as the industry faces continued pressure to act on climate change.