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FCA Plans $1.5 Billion Overhaul for Sterling Heights Assembly Plant

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV will invest $1.5 billion to retool its auto assembly plant in Sterling Heights, Mich., to make next-generation body-on-frame Ram 1500 pickup trucks.

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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV will invest $1.5 billion to retool its auto assembly plant in Sterling Heights, Mich., to make next-generation body-on-frame Ram 1500 pickup trucks.

The company confirms the facility will end production of the slow-selling Chrysler 200 compact sedan in December. Plans for FCA's factory in nearby Warren, which builds the current Ram 1500, will be revealed later.

FCA had high hopes for the Alfa Romeo-based Chrysler 200 when it debuted at the end of 2014. But demand for the car has evaporated. Sales last year totaled nearly 178,000 units. Volume plummeted 58% to 41,000 cars in the first half of 2016, according to Autodata Corp. Sales of the far more profitable Ram pickups are up 9% this year.

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