Chrysler to add 1,600 jobs to Belvidere plant: report
January 27, 2012
(Crain's) — Chrysler Group LLC is expected to announce next week that it will add more than 1,600 jobs to its Belvidere plant, in part to help build the Dodge Dart.
The announcement should be made Thursday when Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn visit the plant, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report that cited unnamed sources. The plant has nearly 3,000 workers.
The 2013 Dodge Dart will replace the Dodge Caliber, which had been made at the Belvidere facility. The plant will continue to produce the Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot. The Dodge Dart is Chrysler's first sub-compact car in years — the last being the Dodge Neon, which was introduced in 1994 and ceased production in 2005.
Chrysler has already started accepting applications for 400 to 500 permanent positions to help launch the Dodge Dart. A spokeswoman for the automaker declined to comment on whether another 1,100 to 1,200 jobs would be added at the Belvidere plant.
