The UAW believed the company was going back on its plant investment commitments. Now, as Trump takes office, the automaker has renewed its U.S. plans.

The news, announced in a letter to employees from North America Chief Operating Officer Antonio Filosa on Wednesday, also provided some good news to workers in Detroit, where the next generation Dodge Durango will be built and those in Toledo, Ohio, and Kokomo, Indiana, where investments are planned.

Sperlich died Jan. 20 at age 95, according to his wife of 11 years, Dr. D’Anne Kleinsmith, a dermatologist in West Bloomfield Township. Sperlich arrived at Ford in 1957 armed with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.

According to a preliminary investigation, the Hyundai was traveling south on I-75 when it ran into the rear of a trailer pulled by a 2022 Volvo semi-tractor. The Kona's driver lost control of the vehicle and it crashed into a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica driven by a 33-year-old Warren man. He had three passengers, police said.

The aging Chrysler Pacifica has kept the company afloat; finally there is new product at the end of the tunnel.

The Chrysler Halcyon concept car at the 2025 Detroit Auto Show at Huntington Place in Detroit on Friday, Jan.10, 2025. The concept car is one of the must sees, according to Detroit Free Press auto critic and columnist Mark Phelan. Making its Detroit debut ...

Karl Zimmermann, chairman of the Detroit Auto Show, said this year’s show returned its focus to the Detroit community.

The annual convention showcasing new and refreshed models from major manufacturers is often a chance for a front-end facelift.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan met with Stellantis NV’s new North America leader Friday in hopes of re-establishing a connection lost due to leadership turnover at the automaker.

The crash took place in the area of Seven Mile and Hoover at about 8:20 p.m. The driver fled the scene on foot, leaving the infant behind.

Stellantis will also reopen its shuttered Belvidere plant in Illinois and invest in its Kokomo engine plant in Indiana.

Sperlich worked first for Ford, then for Chrysler, and he radically changed the automotive market at both. He died this week at age 95.