Oct 15 (Reuters) - Chrysler parent Stellantis ( STLA )

is expanding its factory complex in northern Mexico to build Ram

1500 pickup trucks, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

Stellantis ( STLA ) has been building additional factory space next

to its existing plant in Saltillo, Mexico, the report said,

citing people familiar with the matter.

Two roughly half-kilometer-long (0.31-mile-long) buildings

have been constructed in the past several months, according to

satellite images reviewed by the newspaper.

Stellantis ( STLA ) said it has been making other variants of the Ram

pickup trucks in Mexico and that no other announcements have

been made about the production of Ram 1500.

The French-Italian automaker said in a statement it recently

disclosed plans to invest more than $235 million at the Sterling

Heights assembly plant in Michigan to build future electric

versions of the pickup.

Stellantis ( STLA ) will continue to make Ram trucks at its Michigan

plant, it said.

It is not clear if the planned factory space in Saltillo

would be used to make battery- or gas-powered versions of Ram

trucks, the WSJ report said.

The report on Mexico plans comes as the United Auto Workers

union is eying multiple U.S. strikes against Stellantis ( STLA ),

alleging it had failed to keep the commitments it made in last

year's contract signed after a six-week strike that cost it

about 750 million euros ($816.90 million) in profit.

In August, Stellantis ( STLA ) announced plans to lay off as many as

2,450 factory workers from its Warren Truck assembly plant

outside of Detroit after ending production of the Ram 1500

Classic truck.

($1 = 0.9181 euros)