Automotive giant Stellantis just announced it would invest a staggering $13 billion in its U.S. production facilities over the next four years, a move made easier by the introduction of five new products and a significantly updated engine family. The investments will center in the American Midwest, including Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan, and almost every Stellantis brand sold here will benefit from the rollout.
Welcome To The Family, GME-T4 EVO
One of the most significant additions to the production cadence will be Stellantis’ newest four-cylinder engine. A development of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Global Medium Engine (GME) family of four-cylinders, the Hurricane T4 EVO engine is rumored to eventually replace the Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 in most of its existing applications (and spread to corporate partner Alfa Romeo). That could mean the new turbo four will come to the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chrysler Pacifica, and maybe even the Ram 1500, where it should make at least 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque – an upgrade from the Pentastar.
2026 Jeep Cherokee front 3/4Stellantis North America
The GME-T4 EVO “Hurricane” will continue to be built at Stellantis’ engine plant in Kokomo, Indiana. The company will invest $100 million into the facility to prepare it for the EVO, which will add 100 new jobs to the plant. The previous-generation GME turbo four, which sees duty in everything from the Alfa Romeo Tonale to the Jeep Wrangler 4xe, was exclusively built in Italy until 2022, when Stellantis added the engine to the Kokomo facility’s portfolio for U.S.-market vehicles.
2026 Jeep Cherokee rear top viewStellantis North America
The Belvidere Factory Will Reopen Soon
Upon its closure in 2023, Stellantis’ facility in Belvidere, Illinois, was slated to reopen to build a rumored Ram midsize truck. Although that plan didn’t come to fruition, the automaker is remaining committed to its existing production framework and will invest $600 million to revitalize FCA Belvidere Assembly to produce the recently revealed Jeep Cherokee and an Americanized version of the global Jeep Compass. Although both are expected for the 2026 model year, the Belvidere-assembled crossovers won’t likely roll off the line until 2027. But in the lead-up to that production launch, Stellantis expects to offer around 3,300 new jobs in Illinois.
2026 Jeep Compass – ExteriorStellantis
The midsize Ram pickup will migrate instead to Jeep’s factory in Toledo, Ohio, where it will be built alongside the Wrangler and Gladiator. Toledo will receive a $400 million investment and create 900 new jobs to build the truck, which Stellantis says is expected in 2028.
New Trucks And SUVs For Michigan
Stellantis also confirmed that it would build a next-generation version of the Dodge Durango, which will likely share its platform with the Jeep Grand Cherokee, at the Detroit Assembly Complex, earmarking $130 million for the task. And the Warren Truck Plant, which currently builds the Ram 1500 and Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, will also get a $100 million investment to prepare it for a full-size SUV with a range-extended electric powerplant. We presume it’ll be the Grand Wagoneer “REEV,” a 647-hp SUV that will likely have the same plug-in, series-hybrid powertrain as the recently renamed Ram 1500 REV.
The remainder of Stellantis’ $13 billion investment will go toward research and development – one of the most expensive aspects of new vehicle production – to help the company identify the best markets and segments for American consumers. Stellantis had a decent third quarter, with sales up for the first time in months, and we suspect the extensive investments in U.S. facilities will only help matters.
