Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 5
5
* JULY 2017
"...the only history
that's worth a tinker's
damn is the history
we make today."- Henry Ford
early 1966.
After friction over imported parts and some stiff negotiations, the Canada-U.S.
Automotive Products Trade
Agreement - Auto Pact -
was signed in January 1965.
THE BRICKLIN DREAM
Production of the New
Brunswick-built Bricklin
sports car, born in 1974, lasted a mere 15 months before
the company was bankrupt.
Fewer than 3,000 cars left the
Saint John factory.
Canada followed 1968 U.S.
legislation and imposed emission-control standards by
1971. Two years later, the first
embargo by the Organization
of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC) forever
changed the face of Canada's
auto industry.
Driven by an invasion of
small, fuel-efficient cars from
Japan and Europe, coupled
with one of several near-demises for Chrysler, the federal government, through a
series of trade measures, persuaded Honda and Toyota to
establish assembly operations
in Canada. Honda rolled out
its first car built in Canada -
at its Alliston, Ont., facility
- in 1986. That was followed
by the first Canada-built
Toyota (a Corolla) at a new
plant in Cambridge, Ont., in
1988. Around the same time,
GM and Suzuki agreed on a
joint-venture assembly operation in Ingersoll, Ont.
LABOUR LEADERSHIP
In a major move in 1986,
labour union legend Bob
White led the Canadian
branch of the U.S.-based
United Auto Workers to a
fractious split to form the
Canadian Auto Workers
(CAW). The agreement gave
its 120,000 members $45 million in strike funds, prop-
erties, mortgages and interest. The equally iconic Buzz
Hargrove succeeded White
as leader in 1992. The CAW
- since renamed Unifor -
is now Canada's largest and
most diverse private-sector
union, with 320,00 members.
The turbulent 1990s saw
the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
take effect in January 1994.
"Cab forward" design
architecture debuted in 1992
with production of the LH
series Concord/Intrepid/
Eagle sedans at Chrysler's
then brand-new Bramalea,
Ont., plant.
Other notable events:
Hyundai closed its Bromont,
Que., plant in 1995; Maritimer
Gary Sowerby of Halifax set
his fourth marathon driving record, circling the globe
in 21 days; the first Odyssey
minivan rolled off the line at
Honda's expanded Alliston
plant in 1998; Volvo closed its
Halifax operation with its last
Canadian-built car in 1998;
and New Brunswick-born
Cynthia Trudell took over the
top job at Saturn in 1999, She
was the first woman to lead a
U.S. auto brand.
Ontario had become the
largest auto producer in North
America by the turn of this
century, helping such parts
makers as Magna, Multimatic,
Linamar and others to prosper.
JOBS LOST TO MEXICO
But by 2002, GM closed its
Sainte-Therese, Que., operation as new global competition for investment dollars
put pressure on the industry in Canada. Outsourcing
to Mexico and other countries, the 2008 financial-market meltdown and subsequent
GM and Chrysler bankruptcy
declarations broadsided manufacturing.
The sprawling GM Oshawa Assembly
plant, circa early 1960s.
(PHOTO: GENERAL MOTORS ARCHIVES)
1986 The first car from an
automaker in Japan, an
Accord sedan, rolls off
Honda's Alliston, Ont.,
production line.
1988 Toyota's first Canada-built
car, a compact Corolla,
is produced in Cambridge,
Ont.
Volvo Canadian assembly line
1990 Ford Canada plans to
spend $1 billion to
retool its Oakville, Ont.,
assembly facility.
1994 NAFTA comes into effect.
2001 The World Trade
Organization (WTO)
abolishes the CanadaUS Auto Pact, which was
superseded by NAFTA.
2002 General Motors
closes its St.
Therese, Que.,
plant, ending a
36-year run that
produced the Buick
Skylark, Chevrolet
Monza and Pontiac
Firebird/Chevrolet
Camaro models.
2017
2008 The first Volkswagen built in
Canada, a Touran minivan
(rebranded Dodge Caravan),
rolls out of Chrysler's
Windsor, Ont., plant.
2015 Autonomous cars, ride sharing,
tightening emissions standards and
a growing challenge from tech titans
Google and Apple drive the industry
to more technical investment.
1956 Mercury Monarch Richelieu
( P H O T O : C A N A D I A N I N T E R N AT I O N A L A U T O S H O W )
Despite these challenges,
industry in Canada remains
robust. As society and business push for greater efficiency and sustainability, there's
also opportunity to become a
global leader in technology,
from alternative-fuel powertrains, to cars that drive themselves.
As for Henry Ford and his
view of history? He went on to
say, "We don't want history.
We want to live in the present and the only history that's
worth a tinker's damn is the
history we make today."
- ANC
2017 Ford, with
input from
government,
announces a
$1.2-billion
investment in its
Windsor, Oakville
and other facilities,
creating 800 jobs.
Bob White led the Canadian branch of the U.S.-based United
Auto Workers union to a fractious split in 1986 to form the
newly named Canadian Auto Workers. ( P H O T O : U N I F O R )
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - Intro
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 1
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 2
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 3
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 4
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 5
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 6
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 7
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 8
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 9
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 10
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 11
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 12
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 13
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 14
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 15
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 16
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 17
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 18
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 19
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 20
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 21
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 22
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 23
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 24
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 25
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 26
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 27
Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 28
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