'It's still time': Stellantis executive tells group minorities can make impact in EV space

DETROIT — When Mark Stewart, the chief operating officer for Stellantis’ North American operations, was asked Monday in Detroit whether there’s still time for African American automotive suppliers to become suppliers in the electric vehicle market, he offered a quick response.

It’s not too late, not by a long shot.

“Now is the time,” Stewart told a crowd of auto industry insiders on hand at Motor City Casino for the opening day of the 23rd annual Rainbow PUSH Global Automotive Summit, a two-day event that seeks to promote diversity and inclusion in the automotive industry. The summit was founded by the Rev. Jesse Jackson (Jim Farley, president and CEO of Ford Motor Co., is scheduled to speak at the event Tuesday).

Stewart, who was responding to a question from event chair John Graves, noted that it’s still early days for the EV transition, a market dominated so far by Tesla, although other automakers clearly hope to change that.

EVs are a small but growing piece of the market, and that highlights the opportunity for minority-owned businesses to get involved.

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Stellantis, owner of Jeep, Ram, Chrysler and Dodge, has big plans for its EV push, including $35 billion in related investments. Stewart noted that the company has dozens of battery electric vehicles on the way, including the electric Jeep Recon, but that it also believes that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, such as the Chrysler Pacifica minivan and Jeep Wrangler 4xe, provide a more affordable option that many customer find easier to use.

The company needs a third EV battery plant in North America by 2026, in addition to the two plants already announced, one in Windsor, a county in Michigan, and one in Indiana.

Jackson, who remains committed to the summit even as he battles Parkinson’s disease, took part in the discussion with Stewart and remains a big draw for those who participate. He received a standing ovation in connection with a video highlighting his life’s work fighting for civil rights and social justice.

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The event includes the release of the group’s annual automotive diversity scorecard, which rates a dozen automakers on their diversity efforts in employment, advertising, marketing, procurement, dealers and philanthropy. Toyota edged GM for the top spot this year, but officials also noted solid progress for all this year because it marked the first time since the survey started in 2012 that it included no red marks, which indicate a lack of diversity initiatives and investments.

On the list, Stellantis followed Ford in the No. 4 spot, but Stewart sought to emphasize that the automaker is working to ensure diversity is baked into company culture.

Follow Eric D. Lawrence on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Stellantis executive: Black auto suppliers can make impact in EV space