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.
Stellantis 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.
Stellantis 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.
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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
