A major Ontario auto plant is set to shut down again for a week beginning Monday because it is “adjusting” production to launch a new model, as the threat of tariffs from the United States continues to disrupt the province’s auto industry.
The Stellantis assembly plant in Windsor, Ont., will be closed for a week beginning May 5, a closure that comes on the heels of a two-week closure in April.
Stellantis, which employs thousands of auto workers in southwestern Ontario, confirmed the shutdown in a brief statement to Global News, suggesting it was related to the launch of a new vehicle.
A spokesperson said it was “adjusting production” in Windsor ahead of the launch of the 2026 models of several vehicles, including the Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Charger Daytona.
“As a result, the plant will observe a down week the week of May 5,” they said. “We will continue to monitor the situation.”
The company did not immediately respond to follow-up questions asking if the closure was tariff-related in any way.
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A spokesperson for Unifor, which represents more than 4,500 workers at the Windsor plant, said the local union leadership informed members to the closure Thursday. No other information or reaction to the closure was provided.
The short-term closure comes with fears high for Ontario’s auto industry as U.S. President Donald Trump levels tariffs on all foreign-made cars and threatens to increase and vary the levies.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency issued new guidance Thursday that clarified auto parts imported to the U.S. under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) on free trade won’t be subject to the 25 per cent auto tariffs, due to begin Saturday.
Trump also signed new orders this week to give automakers some relief to the new tariffs, in a bid to give those companies time to move production to the U.S.
Trump has repeatedly said he doesn’t want to import vehicles made in Canada or Mexico and would prefer to see them assembled in the United States.
That threat was a central theme in February’s snap election, when the Progressive Conservatives promised tens of billions in stimulus funding to help workers and areas hit by tariff layoffs.
Since the election, the government has announced $11 billion in wage deferrals for businesses.
Measures to protect Canada’s auto sector were also promised during the campaign leading up to this week’s federal election.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said his Liberal government, which is projected to hold a large minority in the House of Commons, would create a $2-billion strategic response fund and an all-in-Canada auto manufacturing network. He said he would also “leverage government funding” to prioritize Canadian-built vehicles.
Alongside the Stellantis shutdown, an electric delivery vehicle plant run by GM in Ingersoll, Ont., has faced layoffs.
—With additional files from Global’s Sean Boynton
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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