Roshel buys Stellantis Brampton plant
Stellantis’ Brampton Assembly Plant, located north of Toronto, will be sold to Canadian armored-vehicle manufacturer Roshel Inc. The sale, announced on November 9, includes the facility and all associated equipment, but the price paid was not made public.
The deal is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Stellantis stated that the sale will help “create a path to return Brampton Assembly Plant to productive industrial use,” it noted the automaker will need to arrange a settlement with Unifor, the union representing the line workers at Brampton Assembly, to fulfill its obligations under their collective agreement.
The two companies are also exploring “future global collaboration opportunities across vehicle technologies and related services in the defence industry.”
Roshel plans to create a new centre of excellence for advanced manufacturing, allowing Canadian companies to better serve customers at home and export into allied markets, according to Roman Shimonov, founder and CEO of Roshel.
The Brampton Assembly Plant was opened in 1986 by American Motors and was later purchased by Chrysler, now Stellantis. The plant was shuttered in 2023. It was the sole manufacturing facility for Stellantis’ Dodge Charger and Challenger models, along with its Chrysler 300 sedan. More than 2,000 workers were laid off when the plant was shut down, and the plan initially was to re-tool it to build the Jeep Compass, until the automaker decided late 2025 to instead relocate that vehicle’s assembly to Illinois.
Read Also: Family auctions late pilot’s classic car collection
The sale coincides with contract negotiations between Stellantis and Unifor, the union representing the plant workers. Unifor has voted to approve a mandate to strike, with 97.3% of members in favour; Unifor said at the time that any sort of labour action was a “last resort.”
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly stated that Stellantis is obligated to honour its commitment to the plant workers, saying “I expect them to come to the table with a single focus: protecting good-paying jobs in Brampton.”
Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa said, “After three years of paid layoff, we remain committed to working with Unifor on a fair resolution.”
Roshel, founded in 2016, has its principal headquarters in Brampton and also has offices in Michigan, Czech Republic, and Ukraine. The company’s principal product is an armored personnel carrier called the Senator, which has been used by Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia.
Stellantis operates several other facilities in Canada, including a vehicle-assembly plant in Windsor, Ontario, which currently manufactures its Chrysler Pacifica minivan models; as well as its new Dodge Charger, built in two- and four-door guises, and with either gasoline-powered or battery-electric drivetrains.
