The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Stellantis NV has proposed assembling Chinese electric cars at its idled plant in Brampton, Ont., in partnership with Leapmotor, a China-based automaker it partly owns. The Globe's Eric Atkins quotes Unifor president Lana Payne saying that Stellantis is proposing to assemble Chinese cars using parts imported from China, or "knock-down kits." This is the way Chinese EV makers operate in Mexico and other countries, and it involves little local manufacturing and few local suppliers. It can be a way to skirt domestic tariffs and keep labour costs low. The investment is not finalized at this stage. Ms. Payne and other labour officials cautioned on Wednesday that such arrangements would not restore Canada's auto plants to their pretrade-war job levels. "This is not a proposal for assembly and manufacturing," Ms. Payne said. Flavio Volpe, head of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association, said: "Stellantis's full vehicle assembly with local suppliers has underpinned the local economy since 1962 around that plant. Allowing Chinese knock-down kits there would freeze out hundreds of Canadian auto parts suppliers who are waiting for that plant to resume production."