Stellantis to offer buyouts amid electric vehicle transition

By TOM KRISHER
AP Auto Writer

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis says it’s offering buyouts to groups of white-collar and unionized employees in the U.S., as well as hourly workers in Canada. The company says it needs to cut costs to remain competitive as the auto industry shifts from internal combustion vehicles to those powered by electricity. Stellantis says it’s looking to reduce its hourly workforce by about 3,500, but wouldn’t say how many salaried employees it’s targeting. The company has about 56,000 workers in the U.S., and about 33,000 of them could get the offers. Of those, 31,000 are blue-collar and 2,500 are salaried. Another 8,000 union workers in Canada also will get offers, the company said. The offers follow Ford and General Motors, which have trimmed their workforces in the past year through buyout offers.