- Stellantis employees warned for parking non-company cars in preferred spaces.
- Policy echoes long-standing Detroit tradition of backing your own brand.
- Too many warnings could leave your car immobilized by company security.
Showing up to work at a car company in the wrong car can be a little awkward. But at Stellantis headquarters, it can also earn you a parking warning, and if luck isn’t on your side, a soggy, long walk back in the rain.
Employees returning to the office full-time now that work-from-home rules have been scrapped have discovered that not all parking spots are created equal. Drive a Jeep, Dodge, or new Ram 1500 Rebel X, and you’re golden. Roll in with something else, and you might find a ticket waiting for you on your windshield when you get back, a situation some employees have also described online after being cited for parking in restricted areas.
It’s not exactly a fine, at least not yet, the Wall Street Journal reports. But repeat offenders risk having their car immobilized by a parking boot if the warnings/tickets pile up, which is about as subtle as a neon sign saying “you picked the wrong brand, traitor.” If that happens, employees may have to go through management to get the boot removed.
More: Tesla Driver Gets A Ticket At GM Plant For Parking A “Foreign Car In Domestic Lot”
The policy taps into a long-running Detroit tradition, one that extends beyond Stellantis and into rivals like Ford as well. General Motors has its own take on parking politics too, and it has not always gone smoothly. In one case from a few years ago, a Tesla Model 3 was mistakenly ticketed as a “foreign” car at a GM facility, despite being one of the most American-made vehicles on sale.
Automakers have always liked their employees to support the home team, and preferred parking has been one way to encourage that loyalty. It’s a small perk that can make a big difference when the alternative is a trek across a sprawling lot. At Stellantis headquarters, that sprawl is significant, with thousands of employees competing for spaces across multiple lots and parking decks surrounding the campus.
Stellantis Cars Park Closer
As one former executive told the WSJ, there’s a strong incentive to park as close as possible, especially when the weather turns ugly. Nobody wants a 20-minute hike before they’ve even had their morning coffee.
Also: Chrysler Could Get A Sedan Back, But It Might Not Be Like You Remember It
Still, the rules can get a little murky and even confusing for the people enforcing them. One employee reportedly got flagged for parking an Eagle Talon (pictured above), which technically traces its roots back to Chrysler, which is part of Stellantis. That didn’t stop security from questioning its credentials.
Pedantic Parking Enforcement
There’s also a bit of humor mixed in with the frustration. One worker who tried their luck parking in a nearly empty lot still ended up with a warning, suggesting the rules were there just to make people feel bad.
For now, enforcement appears to be mostly warnings. But the message is clear. If you build the cars, you’re expected to drive them too. Do you think it’s fair that employees should be penalized for spending their own money on rival products? Leave a comment and let us know.
