DaimlerChrysler has adequate capacity at its Brampton, Ontario, plant to produce the current Dodge Magnum and Chrysler 300 models, as well as the new Dodge Charger, which is scheduled to start production this year, according to a Reuters report.
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Chrysler Group chief operating officer Tom LaSorda reportedly said the automaker sees no need to shift some production out of Brampton as the plant gears up for the new Charger.
LaSorda told Reuters combined capacity at Brampton and at Magna International’s Magna Steyr facility in Austria was enough to meet its needs.
The news agency noted that DaimlerChrysler said last year its Chrysler 300C Touring model for the European and other markets outside the US would be made in Austria starting this summer.
“That frees up a little more capacity in Brampton and we feel we’ll have enough to meet the demand,” LaSorda said in an interview with Reuters at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.
The report said production of the performance-oriented Charger begins this spring, and DaimlerChrysler plans to add a third shift at Brampton, or about 900 people, by month’s end to support output.
Reuters noted that the automaker is doing well in the Canadian market with its 300 series sedans as well as the Dodge Caravan minivan, and is widely expected to be the ‘target’ in contract talks with the Canadian Auto Workers union this year.
DaimlerChrysler Canada’s sales reportedly soared 21.2% last month and, despite slightly weaker sales last year, the company gained market share in 2004 as it inched up to 13.7% from 13.4% – contract negotiations begin in late summer.
“If they pick us as a target, just like any other time, we’re willing to work with them and work together for a responsible agreement,” LaSorda told Reuters, adding: “We’ll wait to see. But there’s demands on both sides that will need to be heard in what we do, but it’s got to be responsible from all parties.”
