Brampton’s vacant Stellantis assembly plant may not stay empty for long if Mayor Patrick Brown’s comments about interest from foreign automakers and a defence contractor are any indication.

Brown made the comments this week while speaking with U.S. media about the Canada-U.S. trade dispute, but his remarks offered a glimpse into what could be next for the massive plant on Williams Parkway.

“We have an auto plant here that is now stalled, and I’ve got a ton of interest by defence contractors, by auto companies wanting to replace the American company,” Brown said in one interview.

In another, he said he has seen interest from automotive companies from other countries, as well as defence contractors.

Brown specifically mentioned interest in automotive production from China and Italy.

The mayor did not identify the companies involved. Brampton-based defence manufacturer Roshel has previously indicated it is interested in the Stellantis facility, and there has also been speculation about Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers potentially using the plant.

Roshel did not respond to a request for comment.

The comments come as Stellantis’ plans for the Brampton plant remain uncertain. The automaker has previously said it has been in discussions with governments and other stakeholders about finding a future program for the facility, and has now said it is talking with interested parties.

For Brampton, the possibility of another vehicle manufacturer moving into the plant could provide a lifeline for a facility that has been caught in uncertainty for several years.

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Production at the Brampton Assembly Plant ended in late 2023, when the facility was taken offline for a major retooling. Stellantis had planned to restart production with the Jeep Compass, but those plans were later put on hold.

In October 2025, Stellantis announced that Compass production intended for Brampton would instead move to Illinois.

More than 3,000 workers were affected by the plant’s closure, with thousands of additional jobs tied to the broader automotive supply chain.

The plant’s future became even more uncertain this summer when Unifor said Stellantis was considering permanently closing and selling the facility. The union said the automaker had indicated it intended to begin discussions with another company about a possible sale.

That potential sale creates an unusual situation: there may be companies interested in taking over the facility at the same time as Brampton is trying to ensure the property remains dedicated to automotive manufacturing.

Earlier this year, Brampton council approved changes to its planning rules designating the land for automotive assembly and related automotive manufacturing uses. The move was intended to protect automotive manufacturing and high-value jobs in the city.

That restriction could complicate any proposal that falls outside traditional vehicle manufacturing, including some potential defence uses.

But Brown’s comments suggest the plant’s large industrial footprint and existing infrastructure remain attractive to companies looking to establish or expand manufacturing operations in Canada.

And there may be more than one potential suitor.

“It’s such a shame to see the great products and the great partnership we have built fall apart,” Brown said during one of his U.S. interviews.

The mayor’s comments do not mean a deal has been reached, and Stellantis has not announced a new occupant for the facility.

But after years of uncertainty, the possibility that another automaker — potentially from outside North America — could step into the vacant Brampton plant offers a very different future for the site.

For a city that has been home to the auto industry for more than four decades, the question may no longer simply be whether the Stellantis plant will reopen, but who might be behind the wheel when it does.


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