Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 18

18

* JUNE 2018

ALTHOUGH NO NEW PRODUCTS ARE SLATED FOR THE
ASSEMBLY PLANT, A RECENT $500M INVESTMENT LIKELY
ENSURES THAT SOMETHING WILL BE BUILT THERE

A CLOUD OVER

OSHAWA
By JOHN IRWIN
TORONTO BUREAU

TORONTO - THE FUTURE
of the birthplace of Canadian
automotive manufacturing
could tell the industry much
about its fate.
General Motors' Oshawa,
Ont., assembly plant, one
of the most storied plants
in Canada, is coming off a
$500-million investment that
allows it to build light trucks
on one of its lines, making
it the only plant in North
America that builds both cars
and trucks.
That investment gave the
plant a new lease on life, less
than two years after its closure
seemed imminent in the leadup to labour talks in 2016.
Still, the plant faces a host
of challenges in the long term,
much like the rest of Canadian
automotive manufacturing. For instance, it remains
unclear what product will be
built on the new light-truck
line once overflow produc-

tion of the Chevrolet Silverado
and GMC Sierra stops. And in
the era of free trade and global supply chains, Oshawa,
like other Canadian plants,
stands at a disadvantage when
it comes to labour, electricity
and other costs.
A cutback in car production
in Oshawa will result in fewer
new hires than originally

planned, a Unifor official said.
GM said in February that
it would continue its one-shift
operation at Oshawa until
May 28, due to sharply lower
car sales in North America. In
early June, GM said the second shift was "ramping up
now." Colin James, president
of Unifor Local 222, which represents workers in Oshawa,

It's unclear what will be built on Oshawa's new
light-truck line when overflow production of
the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra stops.
PHOTOS: GM

The Oshawa plant builds
the Chevrolet Impala and
Cadillac XTS on its flex line.
PHOTOS: GM

said the second shift was
scheduled to start June 18.
The plant builds the
Chevrolet Impala and Cadillac
XTS on its flex line. About 600
workers are on layoff while
the plant is on one shift.
Longer term, as Canada,
the United States and Mexico
grapple with the future of free
trade and as GM adjusts its
product portfolio to shifting
consumer taste and plateauing North American sales, the
future of the Oshawa plant
should come into focus in the
coming year. In the meantime,
though, observers are in waitand-see mode on Oshawa.
"Oshawa is, among all

the existing assembly operations in Canada, in the biggest trouble long-term," Tony
Faria, co-director of the Office
of Automotive and Vehicle
Research at the University of
Windsor, said.

STORIED PAST
Oshawa, a city about 60
kilometres east of Toronto that
rests along the Lake Ontario
shoreline, has one of the most
storied automotive histories of
any city in the world.
Its manufacturing history can be traced back to 1907
when Robert McLaughlin
began building vehicles based
on Buicks sold in the United
States. The McLaughlin business would be bought by
General Motors Corp. in 1918
and merged with Chevrolet
Motor Car Co. of Canada to
form GM of Canada.
It almost never came to
pass. McLaughlin moved his
carriage company to Oshawa
in 1876, but his plant there
burned in 1899. The business
was nearly destroyed with
the fire, until the city lent
McLaughlin $50,000 to rebuild.
"What that investment did
for that company was literally
help build General Motors in
Canada," Oshawa Mayor John
Henry said.
Auto manufacturing has
been at the heart of the local



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - June 2018

Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - Intro
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 1
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 2
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 3
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 4
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 5
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 6
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 7
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 8
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 9
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 10
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 11
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 12
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 13
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 14
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 15
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 16
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 17
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 18
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 19
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 20
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 21
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 22
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 23
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 24
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 25
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 26
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 27
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 28
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 29
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 30
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 31
Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 32
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_20241021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_20240916
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_20240819
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_20240715
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_20240617
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_20240520
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202312_supp
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202212_supp
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202111_supp
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/html_test
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202002_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201908_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201907
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201906
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201905_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201902_v3
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201811
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201711_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201703_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201702_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201607_test
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_launch2016
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com