Fix It Again Tony

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This week, Stellantis announced that it will invest $13 billion USD over the next four years to expand its production capacity in the United States. The company said the Jeep Compass, previously planned to be made at the Brampton Assembly Plant, will move to the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois.

Canada’s Industry Minister Melanie Joly threatened Stellantis with legal action over the OEM’s plan to shift production of midsize Jeeps from Ontario to Illinois.

Armed with all the fury that Canadian politeness can muster, she wrote a moderately stern letter to Antonio Filosa, Stellantis’ CEO.

Here is Joly’s letter:

Prime Minister Mark Carney didn’t write a letter.

He wrote a statement.

Here is Carney’s statement:

Unifor wasn’t happy about the announcement either (but nothing makes them happy).

To express their rage, Unifor posted a strongly worded PDF on its website. Because nothing says “I’m angry with you” like forcing someone to open up Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford blamed The Donald for Stellantis’ decision. “That guy, President Trump, he’s a real piece of work,” Dougie said. “I’m sick and tired of rolling over. We need to fight back.” Ford said Canada needs to hit back with tariffs if Prime Minister Mark Carney can’t reach a trade deal with Trump.

Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, sports fan, and avid x.com user, found words of his own: “Hundreds of millions of dollars in the Canadian supply base have been kicked aside.” He said Canada must push back hard against Stellantis’s move or risk other automakers in Canada making similar moves.

Speaking to reporters in Toronto, Mark Carney said Stellantis told him that a decision on producing a vehicle in Brampton would be dependent on the finalization of a renewed CUSMA trade deal.

Carney said that Antonio Filosa (I like to call him Tony) assured him they would support the 3,000 workers affected at the Brampton plant and consider producing other nameplates there.

Time will tell if Tony will be faithful to his word and return production to Ontario.

It is rare that I find myself agreeing with Doug Ford. But he’s right, Canada needs to push back on the US and Stellantis.

I just wish we had something more than words and PDFs to throw back at them.

Chery’s Jetour Zongheng G700 becomes the first SUV to cross the 1.5 km wide Yangtze River. carnewschina.com

Nio launches limited-edition black-themed ET5 Touring limited to 555 units. cnevpost.com

Leapmotor plans to launch the first A-series model for China and the EU in Q1 2026. cnevpost.com

BYD has an electric drive-mode problem. cnevpost.com

China’s new EV battery recycling rules deliver 99.6% material recovery. interestingengineering.com

Jensen Huang hand-delivered the first DGX Spark, a small desktop supercomputer for AI applications, to Elon Musk at SpaceX’s Starbase. youtube.com

Elon calls for federal troops to enter San Francisco, describing the city’s downtown as a “drug zombie apocalypse.” And Elon would know what a drug zombie apocalypse would look like. cnbc.com

Top proxy advisor Institutional Shareholder Services is recommending that Tesla shareholders vote against giving Elon the proposed $1 trillion pay package. cnbc.com

SpaceX closed a troubled but instructive chapter in its Starship rocket program Monday with a near-perfect test flight that carried the stainless steel spacecraft halfway around the world from South Texas to the Indian Ocean. arstechnica.com

Cartwheel Robotics is developing a humanoid robot called “Yogi”, which can move naturally, perform household tasks, and bring a friendly presence to your home. youtube.com

Apple plans to manufacture its new tabletop robot in Vietnam. bloomberg.com

The world’s most advanced bricklaying robot assembles 360 blocks per hour for faster home construction. interestingengineering.com

Oklo, the nuclear technology firm backed by Sam Altman, has signed an agreement with EU-based newcleo to develop advanced fuel fabrication and manufacturing infrastructure in the US. interestingengineering.com

An overlooked technology for nearly 50 years, the first liquid air energy storage facility is finally set to power up in 2026. bbc.com

Oil prices managed small gains by the end of the week, but were headed for a weekly loss of nearly 3%. reuters.com

Mobile EV charging batteries are the jerry can of the future. jalopnik.com

Vertical floating solar plant comes online in Germany. pv-magazine.com

The 2026 Maserati MCPura Cielo flashes a new name but keeps the operatic style, butterfly doors, and charming performance. caranddriver.com

Ruh roh, there might be another automotive chip shortage. wsj.com

More than half of American car buyers would consider a Chinese car brand for their next purchase, an increase of almost 25 percent compared to last year. That’s according to a survey of prospective car buyers conducted annually by the research firm AutoPacific. arstechnica.com

The Donald imposed 25% tariffs on imported medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks and parts, as well as a 10% duty on buses. autonews.com

Automakers will pay $10.6 billion in tariffs on vehicles and parts imported to the US from Canada and Mexico through the first 10 months of the year, according to analysis by Anderson Economic Group. autonews.com

The US learns that EV tax incentives do, in fact, help sell cars. autonews.com

Porsche plans to push its current CEO into an early exit, and is in talks with former McLaren boss Michael Leiters to take over. wsj.com

GM takes a $1.6 billion hit on EVs. theverge.com

Ford has a seatbelt problem. reuters.com

Waymo plans to launch a robotaxi service in London in 2026. techcrunch.com

Stellantis plans to team up with Pony AI to start testing autonomous vans in Luxembourg. bloomberg.com

DoorDash will use Waymo’s robotaxis for delivery in Phoenix. theverge.com

Apple TV will be the only place to watch F1 in the US. Apple is reportedly paying $140 million a year to take over F1 streaming from ESPN. theverge.com

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said that bankruptcies in the US auto market are a sign that lending standards grew too lax. How do you like them apples? cnbc.com

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