Windsor Assembly Plant (WAP) is a Stellantis Canada automobile factory in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the southe ...

. The factory opened in 1928 and

Chrysler minivans The Chrysler minivans are a series of minivans that have been produced and marketed by the American automaker Chrysler since the 1984 model year. Currently in its sixth generation, the model line is marketed worldwide, primarily in North Ameri ...

production began in 1983. Windsor Assembly is Windsor's largest employer. The plant currently operates two shifts with over 4,200 employees.

Overview

The plant was designed by the architectural firm

Hutton & Souter Hutton & Souter is a Canadian architectural firm established in 1920 by William Russell Souter and Gordon Johnston Hutton. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, the firm is responsible for notable structures in the city and elsewhere, (e.g. McLaughlin Motor ...

. It covers 408,773 square metres (4.4 million sq. ft.) on 50 hectares (123.3 acres) and manufactured the Generation I

Dodge Caravan The Dodge Caravan (and the long-wheelbase Dodge Grand Caravan) is a series of minivans that was manufactured by Chrysler from the 1984 to 2020 model years. The Dodge version of the Chrysler minivans, the Caravan was marketed as both a passenger v ...

and

Plymouth Voyager Plymouth Voyager is a nameplate for a range of vans that were marketed by the Plymouth division of Chrysler. From 1974 until 1983, the Voyager was a full-size van, sold as the counterpart of Dodge Sportsman (later the Dodge Ram Wagon). For 1984 ...

minivans from 1983 until 1991. The Generation II minivans, constructed on the AS

platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

was equipped with an optional V6 engine and in a new long wheel-base version. The Generation III (NS) minivan production began in 1995 — with dual sliding doors. Starting in July 2000, the Generation IV (RS) minivan, which included the ''Stow'n Go'' seating, was produced until July 2007. In August 2007, the Generation V (RT) minivan was introduced which continues with the ''Stow 'n Go'' and features the new ''Swivel'n Go'' seating. The current

Chrysler Pacifica Chrysler Pacifica is a nameplate used by Chrysler for a variety of vehicles. The name was first used on a luxury minivan concept vehicle in 1999, and later a crossover concept in 2002. From 2004 to 2008, it was used on a mid-size crossover, and ...

(RU) minivan, that replaced the Chrysler Town & Country, entered production in 2016 for the 2017 model year and includes both gasoline engine and plug-in hybrid versions. In March 2019, FCA Canada announced it would cut the third shift at Windsor Assembly, eliminating 1,500 jobs. Although the third shift was initially scheduled to end in September 2019, it was extended multiple times. The third shift finally ended on July 10, 2020. Production of the Dodge Grand Caravan ended August 21, 2020 as FCA moves retail and fleet customers to the new entry-level Chrysler Voyager and Chrysler Grand Caravan.

Vehicles produced

Current

(2017–present) *

Chrysler Voyager The Chrysler Voyager (and the long-wheelbase Chrysler Grand Voyager) is a minivan produced by the Chrysler division of Stellantis. In the current lineup, it is positioned as the lower-end Chrysler minivan, having replaced the Dodge Grand Cara ...

(2020–present) * Chrysler Grand Caravan (2021–present)

Past

Windsor Assembly assembled many vehicles before the plant was converted in 1982 for the production of the Minivan. Although the vehicle has had many names under different brands, the minivan has always been built at WAP. A deal with

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-W ...

resulted in the plant assembling the Routan (RM) on the same platform as the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country models in August 2008. Production lasted until 2013. With the closure of Windsor Assembly's sister plant,

Saint Louis Assembly Saint Louis Assembly was a Chrysler automobile factory in Fenton, Missouri. The "South" plant opened in 1959, while the "North" portion opened in 1966. The Saint Louis Factory was built to accommodate Chrysler's new Chrysler B platform allowing t ...

, in Fenton, Missouri in October 2008, WAP started producing the right-hand drive and diesel versions for the world market in August 2009 for the 2010 model year under the Chrysler nameplate and eventually the Lancia Voyager. *1953–1955 Dodge M37/M43 *1959–1960

Chrysler Saratoga The Chrysler Saratoga is an automobile built by Chrysler. The nameplate was used from 1939 to 1952 and from 1957 to 1960 in the U.S. market, in Canada through 1965, and in Europe from 1989 to 1995. In the beginning, it was introduced as a sport lu ...

*1960–1966 Valiant *1961–1966

Chrysler Windsor The Chrysler Windsor is a full-size car which was built by Chrysler from 1939 through to the 1960s. The final Chrysler Windsor sold in the United States was produced in 1961, but production in Canada continued until 1966. The Canadian 1961 to 1 ...

*1964–1965 Valiant Barracuda *1967–1976

Dodge Dart Dodge Dart is a line of automobiles marketed by Dodge from the 1959 to 1976 model years in North America, with production extended to later years in various other markets. The Dart name originally appeared on a 1956 Chrysler show car featuring ...

*1967–1976

Plymouth Valiant The Plymouth Valiant (first appearing in 1959 as simply the Valiant) is an automobile which was marketed by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation in the United States from the model years of 1960 through 1976. It was created to give t ...

*1975–1978 Dodge Charger *1975–1983

Chrysler Cordoba The Chrysler Cordoba is a full-sized luxury car based on the Chrysler Newport that was marketed during the 1970 model year only and two generations as an intermediate-sized two-door personal luxury model manufactured by Chrysler in North Ameri ...

*1978 Dodge Li'l Red Express Truck *1978–1979 Dodge Magnum *1980–1983

Dodge Mirada The Dodge Mirada is a mid-sized, rear-wheel drive coupe manufactured and marketed by Dodge for the model years 1980 to 1983, sharing the Chrysler J platform along with its badge engineered variants, the second generation Chrysler Cordoba and the ...

*1981

Chrysler LeBaron The Chrysler LeBaron, also known as the Imperial LeBaron, is a line of automobiles built by Chrysler from 1931-1941 and from 1955-1995. The model was introduced in 1931, with a body manufactured by LeBaron, and competed with other luxury cars o ...

*1981–1983 Chrysler Imperial *1981–1983

Dodge Diplomat The Dodge Diplomat is an American mid-size car that was produced by Dodge from 1977 to 1989. At launch, it shared a common design with the Chrysler LeBaron and for much of its later production run was the counterpart of the Chrysler Fifth Aven ...

Plymouth Caravelle The Plymouth Caravelle is a mid-size sedan that was introduced by Plymouth as a 1983 Canadian model. The Caravelle came to the United States in 1985 to replace the Chrysler E-Class. It was essentially identical to the concurrent Dodge 600. It ...

Plymouth Gran Fury The Plymouth Gran Fury is a full-sized automobile that was manufactured by Plymouth from 1975 to 1989. The nameplate would be used on successive downsizings, first in 1980, and again in 1982, through what would originally have been intermediate ...

*1982–1983 Chrysler New Yorker/ Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue *1984–2000

*1984–2007

*1987–2000 Plymouth Grand Voyager *1987–2020

Dodge Grand Caravan The Chrysler minivans are a series of minivans that have been produced and marketed by the American automaker Chrysler since the 1984 model year. Currently in its sixth generation, the model line is marketed worldwide, primarily in North Ameri ...

*1990–2016

Chrysler Town & Country The Chrysler Town & Country is a minivan that was manufactured and marketed by Chrysler from 1990 to the 2016 model years. The third of the Chrysler minivans introduced, the 1990 Town & Country shared its nameplate with the flagship Chrysler st ...

*2001–2003

*2004–2008

*2009–2013 Volkswagen Routan *2011–2014 Lancia Voyager *2012–2015 Ram C/V Tradesman

References

External links

* {{Chrysler Group LLC assembly plants Chrysler factories Economy of Windsor, Ontario Buildings and structures in Windsor, Ontario Motor vehicle assembly plants in Canada Manufacturing in Ontario