Stellantis CFO Doug Ostermann stated that the company has initiated "upstream collaboration" with Tier 1 suppliers in response to the tariff deadline set by Trump for April 2.
At the Wolfe Research Virtual Global Auto Conference on March 18, Doug Ostermann said, "Some of the inventory we normally store at the supplier level—especially safety stock, which serves as a buffer for unexpected orders or delivery delays—is being moved across the border to our U.S. plants. This is not our standard practice, but we’ve implemented a series of measures to mitigate potential short-term impacts."
Doug Ostermann also noted that Stellantis is working with dealers to "gather orders for models that may be affected and attempt to complete production during Stellantis' recent downtime."
He added that Stellantis has healthy inventory levels at its U.S. dealerships, with most Canada- and Mexico-built models turning at about "70 to 80 days." Stellantis currently produces Ram heavy-duty trucks, ProMaster vans, Jeep Compass, and 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 engines in Mexico, while manufacturing Chrysler Pacifica minivans and the Dodge Charger Daytona EV in Canada.
Ostermann also said that Stellantis has remained in communication with the Trump administration and will adapt to any policy changes that may occur on or after April 2, similar to its strategy during Trump's first term when the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
"We have maintained dialogue with various levels of the U.S. government," Ostermann said. "Of course, we value the opportunity to provide industry insights to help U.S. policymakers understand the specific challenges faced by the auto industry and explore ways to collaboratively support U.S. policy objectives."