Automaker Stellantis is temporarily halting production at a plant in Canada and a plant in Mexico shortly after President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on imported vehicles. The move will result in the temporary layoff of 900 U.S. employees.
Stellantis, which owns car brands like Jeep, Citroën and Ram, said Thursday it will be temporarily pausing production at the Windsor assembly plant in Canada for for the weeks of April 7 and 14. Operations will resume at the facility the week of April 21.
The company will also be temporarily pausing production at the Toluca assembly plant in Mexico for the month of April, starting on April 7.
Due to the production pause, there will be temporary layoffs at the Warren and Sterling stamping plants in Michigan and at the Indiana and Kokomo transmission plants and Kokomo casting facility in Indiana.
Stellantis plans to continuously monitor the situation to determine if further action is necessary.
In a email from North American Chief Operating Officer Antonio Filosa sent to employees, Filosa said that Stellantis will quickly adapt to the policy changes imposed by Trump. He noted that the actions that the company is taking “are necessary given the current market dynamics.”
“We understand that the current environment creates uncertainty,” Filosa wrote. “Be assured that we are very engaged with all of our key stakeholders, including top government leaders, unions, suppliers and dealers in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, as we work to manage and adapt to these changes.”
Late last month Trump said he was placing 25% tariffs on auto imports, a move the White House claimed would foster domestic manufacturing but could also put a financial squeeze on automakers that depend on global supply chains. Later Thursday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will match U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25% auto tariffs with a tariff on vehicles imported from the United States.
Stellantis has also been dealing with some of its own challenges. In December CEO Carlos Tavares stepped down amid an ongoing struggle with slumping sales.
Stellantis’ North American operations had been the company’s main source of profits for some time, but struggles piled up last year, with the company citing rising competition and larger market changes.
In efforts to revive sales, Stellantis previously made a number of leadership changes in October, which included naming new heads of operations in North America and Europe.
In January the company announced plans to reopen an assembly plant in Illinois and build the next generation Dodge Durango in Detroit as it looked to resolve issues with the UAW.
FILE - The Stellantis sign is seen outside the Chrysler Technology Center, Jan. 19, 2021, in Auburn Hills, Mich. Stellantis on April 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Ovechkin could not contain his happiness moments after scoring his 895th goal to break Wayne Gretzky's NHL record.
After firing the puck into the net, Ovechkin turned and did a belly-flop slide down the ice like he had just won a pee-wee hockey game. The gap-toothed grin didn't leave his face for hours.
“We did it!” he told teammates in an electric visiting arena with over 17,000 fans locked in on his every move. "It’s history! Yeah!”
Ovechkin was the epitome of joyfulness on goal No. 895, just like he's been on so many of his previous 894, replicating jumping into a fountain in Washington when he and the Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018.
“Almost," Ovechkin said.
That title, the franchise's first championship, was the Capitals' high-water mark, but this stuck out in a different way.
The Cup gets handed out once a year. Ovechkin broke a record that stood for more than three decades, with the chance for his reign to last even longer. At a time of the season in a team-centric sport that is usually reserved only for playoff races, Ovechkin's “GR8 Chase” captivated the hockey community and reached the rest of the world clearly eager to witness something special.
“It’s a testament to Ovi,” said center Dylan Strome, who along with Tom Wilson had the assists on Ovechkin's record-breaker Sunday in a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders. “Everyone wants to see him succeed because he’s such a happy guy. It doesn’t matter if he scores a goal or someone else scores a goal: He’s just as happy. And I think that’s a credit to him and his character, and you could see why other people are so happy for him because of the way he treats other people.”
The charismatic Russian superstar has made a career out of scoring like no one else and commemorating the moments like few others. Whether it was jumping into the glass or mimicking that his stick was on fire, Ovechkin has become one of the faces of the game in part because of his child-like love of the game, even in his 20th NHL season. He is a little kid at heart playing a grown-up sport.
It's a love of the game that resonates far beyond the Capitals.
"You just smile every time you see it," coach Spencer Carbery said, echoing Strome about Ovechkin being just as happy to see his teammates score. “It speaks to him, but also who he is as a captain and as a leader, of the happiness and joy that he has to win and to see others have success and others to score goals, as well.”
No team or goaltender wanted to be the one to give up No. 895, but the Islanders — and netminder Ilya Sorokin, 10 years younger than Ovechkin, giving the fellow Russian his stick when asked — still had full appreciation of the moment.
“No matter what team you were cheering for tonight, everyone was a hockey fan," Islanders captain Anders Lee said. “Everyone on our side and their side can appreciate Ovi's accomplishment."
The run-up to the accomplishment was half the fun. Goal-counters from Washington to Moscow tracked the quest. Ticket prices surged and subsided based on how close Ovechkin was to catching and passing Gretzky.
If the pressure was mounting on Ovechkin at 39 in the twilight of his career, he didn't show it. And the Capitals made it their life's work to get him the record.
It finally came midway through the 77th game out of 82, bringing relief to everyone involved.
“Over the last couple of weeks, it has now turned into he’s right there,” Carbery said. “And for us, especially as coaches, we go to the hundreds and hundreds of hours that we’ve been trying to figure out ways to get him the next goal. (When) you’ve been working 80-hour weeks for the last two years to try to help get the next goal, it’s a pretty special moment for us to celebrate.”
The NHL and the Capitals put together a video montage of greats from Simone Biles and Michael Phelps to Tom Brady, LeBron James and Derek Jeter to congratulate Ovechkin. In that moment, it was clear this accomplishment transcended hockey — and even sports. Vladimir Putin added his congratulations after the sun rose in Moscow on Monday.
“It’s great for the game,” Ovechkin said. "It’s great for us to be involved for this moment. ... Right now, people celebrate, people are happy and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
Longtime teammate John Carlson, who assisted on the tying 894th goal on Friday night, said he and the Capitals “were just along for the ride.” So was everyone else watching, and Ovechkin provided a ride of a lifetime. He made sure it has been a fun one.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates after scoring his 895th career goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against New York Islanders in Elmont, N.Y., Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8), lower center, celebrates with teammates after scoring against New York Islanders during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Elmont, N.Y., Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates after scoring his 895th career goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against New York Islanders in Elmont, N.Y., Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates with teammates after scoring against New York Islanders during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Elmont, N.Y., Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates with teammates after scoring against New York Islanders during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Elmont, N.Y., Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
