Is Ram Responsible for the Detroit of Mexico?
With multiple automobile factories and a well-trained workforce, Saltillo has been called the “Detroit of Mexico.” Tesla is even building its next-generation platform nearby. But one of the biggest presences in Saltillo is Ram‘s factory which assembles its heavy-duty trucks and builds every Hemi V8. In fact, Chrysler’s involvement in Saltillo goes back to the 1950s.
Ram builds trucks in Saltillo, Mexico
Saltillo, Mexico, is just 180 miles south of the U.S. border. It is also the capital of Mexico’s third-largest state. These factors make it an excellent location for manufacturing. Chrysler Corporation and General Motors opened plants in Saltillo in the 1950s.
Today, the majority of Ram’s models are assembled in Saltillo. In addition, every Chrysler Corporation V8 engine is built in Saltillo. Ram still assembles its fifth-generation 1500 in Michigan. It also assembles some of its fourth-generation Ram 1500 “Classic” pickup trucks (but not all) in Michigan.
Every Ram 2500 and heavier truck–all the way up to the Ram chassis-cab–hails from Saltillo. In addition, the Ram Promaster van comes from Mexico. Ram trucks are very popular in the Mexican market. Ram’s Saltillo factory also turns out the Ram 700 compact pickup and the Ram 4000 heavy-payload pickup truck for the Mexican market.
Saltillo is home to Stellantis stamping, engine-building, and truck assembly plants
Ram pickup truck assembly in Saltillo, Mexico | Stellantis
Chrysler Corporation has multiple plants in Saltillo. Saltillo Engine is one of its largest factories. It employs over 2,000 workers and has built over 21 million engines–according to Mopar Insiders. Saltillo was one of the first plants to build the latest Hemi, the Hellcat variant, and now the Hurricane I6.
Ram also operates a truck assembly plant in Saltillo and a separate van assembly plant. Obviously the van plant assembles the Promaster while the truck plant has assembled various Rams. Saltillo Truck has actually assembled more than four million Rams. Together these plants employ 6,700 workers–according to Stellantis.
Chrysler Corporation also operates Saltillo stamping, which stamps out components for multiple vehicles. You can see where the Stellantis engines sold in North America are built in the table below:
| Engine Name | Vehicles | Assembly Plants |
| 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 | Ram 1500, Ram 1500 Classic | Trenton, Michigan Dundee, Michigan Saltillo, Mexico |
| 3.0-liter Hurricane twin-turbo I6 | Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer, Wagoneer L, Grand Wagoneer L | Saltillo, Mexico |
| 5.7-liter Hemi V8 | Ram 1500 | Saltillo, Mexico |
| 6.4-liter “BGE” Hemi V8 | Ram 2500 Heavy Duty, and larger trucks | Saltillo, Mexico |
| 6.4-liter “Apache” SRT Hemi V8 | Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392, Dodge Durango SRT | Saltillo, Mexico |
| 6.2-liter “Hellcat” Supercharged SRT Hemi V8 | Ram 1500 TRX | Saltillo, Mexico |
| 6.7-liter Cummins Turbodiesel I6 | Ram 2500 Heavy Duty, and larger trucks | Columbus Midrange Engine Plant, Ohio |
Automakers are focusing on ‘near-shoring’ in Mexico
Many U.S. citizens are adamant about buying vehicles built in the U.S.A. Others try to focus on products from one of our NATO allies, at the least. For this reason, the automobile labeling act dictates that every vehicle (lighter than a heavy-duty truck) must have a sticker window declaring where it was assembled and what percentage of its parts come from either the U.S. or Canada.
But global shortages over the last several years have illuminated another problem: sourcing components such as semi-conductors from overseas leaves supply chains vulnerable. For this reason, many automakers are focusing on “near-shoring.” This just means sourcing as many components as possible from somewhere in North America.
To this end, Saltillo’s manufacturing capabilities are a significant resource. Ram, for example, employs thousands of members of the National Union of Integrated Automotive and Allied Industries of Mexico. Workers from all over Mexico are flocking to Saltillo and have dropped the city’s average age to 27. Ram provide training and Ram’s Saltillo plants have won company-wide awards for build quality.
Who knows what the future will hold for Detroit, Michigan. But Saltillo has become a major automotive manufacturing capital. And if the supply chain issues have taught us anything, its that having more manufacturing on this continent is a good thing for everyone.
Next, find out which other full-size American pickup truck is made in Mexico, or learn more about automobile manufacturing in Mexico in the video below:
