Stellantis Cancels SEMA, LA Auto Show Appearances, Blames The UAW Strike

Stellantis announced today that it has canceled plans to attend this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show and SEMA Show. The company says that rising costs related to the ongoing UAW strike led to its decision. The news arrived just days after the automaker said it wouldn’t attend CES 2024.

A Stellantis representative confirmed to Motor1.com that this cancellation includes the Mopar display planned for SEMA. On Tuesday, the in-house aftermarket brand announced that it would be showcasing vehicles fitted with Mopar accessories, but that’s no longer the case. It’s unclear if Stellantis will ever reveal the vehicles. The rep told us that the company would share its plans later.

There are rumors that the company might sell its North American headquarters, technical center, and 17 other facilities. In the company’s fourth counteroffer to the UAW, it asked for the unilateral right to sell the facilities, which gives the automaker options for the future of its campus.

The UAW began its strike on September 4 against General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis, a first for the labor organization. Since then, the union has expanded the strike, targeting and threatening to target the automakers’ most profitable plants and products.

Last week, the UAW hit Ford with drastic action, striking at the Blue Oval’s Kentucky Truck Plant. The facility produces the lucrative Ford F-Series Super Duty, the Expedition, and the Lincoln Navigator. The expanded strike came after Ford re-presented the same offer to the union it did two weeks prior. Ford called the UAW’s move “grossly irresponsible.”

UAW President Shawn Fain said last Friday that the strike would enter a new, more aggressive phase. Nearly 34,000 union members are on the picket line today, with the UAW expected to provide an update on the ongoing negotiations on Friday afternoon.

Stellantis is the only automaker who has announced canceling plans to attend these shows. The LA Auto Show opens to the public on November 17. The 2023 SEMA Show kicks off on Halloween with vehicles dressed in various aftermarket parts and accessories.

Pictured is Mopar and Jeep at the 2019 SEMA Show.