BELVIDERE,IL—Source: Stellantis Belvidere Assembly plant to go idle in two days by Destin Howard published by WREX. Stellantis' Belvidere Assembly Plant is scheduled to go idle this week, meaning production will be halted on Tuesday, laying off thousands of workers.

Stellantis announced back in December that it would idle production, laying off more than 1,300 employees. It is not only Stellantis workers who are affected by this decision, however, as several suppliers in the area are also shutting down.

The assembly plant was built in the 1960s. Twelve vehicles were made in Belvidere, including the Neon and, most recently, the Jeep Cherokee. Chrysler employed more than 4,000 workers in the 80s, which dropped to around 3,200 in the early 90s. Stellantis took over the plant in 2021 when Fiat Chrysler merged with a French automaker.