Stellantis, the giant international auto conglomerate that makes everything from Jeep to Ram to Alfa Romeo and Opel, told us in a brief press release that it has canceled its plans to attend CES 2024. The company is blaming the ongoing United Auto Workers (UAW) strike, which today was expanded to include 6,800 workers at the plant that builds the Ram 1500 truck, Stellantis' largest plant in the United States.
In a statement to Axios, Stellantis said it offered "the worst-case scenario" in terms of wage increments, temporary pay and transition to full-time, and cost-of-living adjustments (COLA).
"Due to the mounting costs of the ongoing UAW strike against Stellantis, the company has decided to cancel its plans for demonstrations and speaking engagements at CES 2024," Stellantis said in its press release. Stellantis said the company "is taking a comprehensive response to mitigate the financial impact and protect investors."
The week-long CES show in Las Vegas has cost millions of dollars in travel costs for booths and staff, but it's unclear whether that will make up for the lost production, or whether Stellantis simply found an opportunistic reason to avoid CES, which has largely devolved into a calorie-free festival of make-believe products and buzzwords.
But don't worry, the same press release promises that Stellantis "will continue to demonstrate its transformation into a mobile technology company in other ways." Stellantis has opted to develop an Android-based version of its infotainment system and has already released products like a drone that can be launched from a Jeep Wrangler and an electric Dodge Charger with an "exhaust system" that plays exhaust sounds through speakers.
Even in the complicated labor history of the U.S. auto industry, the UAW strike is historic - workers at all three major U.S. automakers are on strike, and the reasons for the strike include both basic issues such as pay and benefits, and new challenges in the transition to electric vehicles, such as battery manufacturing and whether new electric vehicle factories will be covered by existing labor contracts.