Automotive News Canada - July 2020 - 22

* JULY 2020

Products at Windsor, Brampton
are not at risk, but for how long?
CONTINUED FROM PA GE 17

"The vans are still important," he said. "As
crossovers have cannibalized that space, volumes have diminished. But we don't see FCA getting out of that space anytime soon."
Unifor will also seek commitments for the
Brampton, Ont., plant, which has long been
the subject of speculation because of the aging
low-volume products it builds and the valuable
real estate it sits on. The plant builds the Dodge
Charger and Challenger and Chrysler 300 sedan.
But like Windsor, McCabe said, the Brampton
plant is relatively insulated
because FCA is committed to
continuing to sell the Dodge
muscle cars, which are highly
profitable for the company.
The negotiations will
also cover the automaker's
Etobicoke casting plant in
Toronto.
"FCA Canada has mainFiat Chrysler
tained a long-standing collabAutomobiles
orative relationship with our
cut a shift
Unifor partners," FCA spokesat is plant
woman LouAnn Gosselin
in Windsor,
wrote in an emailed statement.
Ont., because
"We are optimistic that we
of plunging
will be able to reach a labour
minivan sales,
agreement that will sustain the
but the good
company's competitiveness in
news is that
Canada."
the automaker
is committed to FORD MOTOR CO.
that segment,
Negotiations with Ford
said Joe
will revolve around the future
McCabe of
of the Oakville, Ont., assemAutoForecast
bly plant, which employs
Solutions.
4,200 hourly workers. In June,
FILE PHOTO
AutoForecast Solutions, citing
supplier sources, said it no longer forecasts that
the next-generation Edge crossover will be built
there. That would leave the plant without a product in 2023 and beyond.
"We always understood that the next generation of the Edge was ours, so where is it?" Dias
said. "If it's not the Edge, what is it?"
The negotiations will also involve Ford's
Windsor engine operations, which employ about
2,000 workers who assemble the 5.0-litre V-8 for

FCA's Brampton plant appears to be safe from
closure because it makes the high-performance
Challenger and Charger models that remain in
demand. The plant is still waiting for a new paint
shop that was promised in the last round of
bargaining, however. P H O T O : F C A

the Ford Mustang and F-Series trucks and the
Super Duty large V-8.
"We're in good shape at the engine plant, I
would argue," Dias said.

GENERAL MOTORS
In a first, this round of negotiations between
Unifor and GM will not involve an assembly
plant, following the end of vehicle production in
Oshawa in 2019. GM said then that it would convert Oshawa into an operation that builds aftermarket parts. About 300 workers make those
parts, though that number could rise if programs
are added.
"That's good work, and it's stable," Dias said,
"but we need to see what that longer-term commitment looks like with GM because so far,
we've only seen what they originally committed
to in 2019."
The bulk of GM workers covered under
this round of negotiations - about 1,185 - are
employed at the St. Catharines Propulsion Plant,
which builds engines and transmissions for several GM models assembled throughout North
America. The negotiations do not cover GM's
CAMI plant, which builds the Chevrolet Equinox
crossover. - ANC

CONTINUED FROM PA GE 3

Although it looks like winter snow in Calgary,
it's actually hail in June. P H O T O S : H A R R Y P E G G

TIMELY INSTALLATION
The dealership spent "more
than $2 million" erecting huge
tents in 2017, and they paid
for themselves in just the one
storm, Schmidt said.
Jordon Romeril, general manager at Country Hills
Hyundai in Calgary, said 320
vehicles were hit in the storm,
but most can be brought back
with paintless dent repair.
"We have just started the
appraisal process," he said.
Like many dealers, he carries

CONTINUED FROM PA GE 3

Manitoba's surrounding Parkland district. There's no better time than during a pandemic, he said, "for communities
to stick together and support one another." - Joe Knycha

EV startup reports mixed Q1 results

Hail tents and nets pay for themselves
said despite having 300 vehicles under about four acres (1.6
hectares) of hail tents, another
200 new and used vehicles were
damaged.
Some used vehicles will be
written off, he said. "Newer
units are repairable, but most
need new roofs, hoods, trunk
lids and side panels, along with
lights and trim pieces. The cost
will be in the neighbourhood of
$10,000 per unit. It's going to be
$2 million or so."

TRANS-CANADA NEWS

Some used vehicles will be
written off because of hail
damage, while paintless dent
repair will be used for new
vehicles.

hail insurance, but deductible
costs are "significant."
Next door, Country Hills
Nissan had 300 vehicles under
nets, which largely did their

job. They slumped under the
weight of the hail, but damage
was lighter and limited to vehicle roofs and glass.
Ben Maitland, whose
Platinum Mitsubishi in
Calgary is outside the major
damage area, had 160 vehicles
in the open, and his costs are
expected to be "just under $1
million."
It could have been worse
under more usual circumstances, Maitland said, but the
COVID-19 pandemic has slowed
product deliveries and, "just
about everybody" is down on
inventory. - ANC

VANCOUVER - ELECTRAMECCANICA VEHICLES
Corp. marked a number of developments in the first quarter of 2020 as it heads toward volume production and marketing of its Solo single-seat commuter electric vehicle.
The company reported Q1 revenue of $116,813, compared
with $101,404 for the
same period last year. Its
operating loss was about
$6.9 million, compared
with $6.3 million in the
first quarter of 2019, with
a $1.9-million net loss,
down from $20.7 million
in the same quarter last B.C.-based ElectraMeccanica
is seeking a U.S. location to
year.
build the single-seat Solo EV
Milestones includfor that market.
ed a finalized design
PHOTO: ELECTRAMECCANICA
for the three-wheel, single-seat EV, including a new liquid-cooled motor and aluminum chassis, beginning development of a mobile app for
iOS and Android platforms to give owners remote access
to vehicle functions, and expansion of its agreement with
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield regarding storefronts at the
company's Los Angeles-area shopping malls.
ElectraMeccanica is searching for a site to locate a U.S.
assembly facility and engineering centre, and has identified seven states as finalists. - Steve Mertl

Dealership assists prescription-drug delivery
MATANE, QUE. - GENERAL MOTORS DEALERSHIP
Marquis Automobiles in
Quebec's Gaspé region, about
650 kilometres northeast of
Montreal, is lending a helping hand to local drugstores
that have been under added
pressure with home deliveries
during the coronavirus pandemic.
To ensure area residents
continue receiving needed prescriptions, Marquis
Automobiles has loaned two
new vehicles to two local
Isabelle Rouleau, left,
drugstores.
from Brunet pharmacy
The Brunet pharmacy
and Rosie Bouffard from
received a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt, Marquis Automobiles
while the Proxim pharmacy
flank the Chevrolet Bolt
will make deliveries using a
EV delivery vehicle.
2020 Buick Encore GX.
P H O T O : M O N M ATA N E
- Benoit Charette N E W S PA P E R

Dealership turns 50, gifts $5,000 to food bank
OTTAWA - COVID-19 MIGHT HAVE WREAKED HAVOC
on Canada's auto dealers, but Ottawa's Bel-Air Toyota and
Lexus dealerships still found a way of marking an important milestone
"We're celebrating our 50th anniversary this year,"
says Michel Parent, whose father, Roland, opened Bel-Air
Toyota in 1970. "We were not expecting to celebrate it this
way."
The Parents decided to observe the anniversary by stepping up their community involvement, making a $5,000
donation to the Ottawa Food Bank to deal with surging
demand due to job losses during the pandemic.
- Robert Bostelaar

Dealer awards recognize transition excellence
NORTH YORK, ONT. - NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN FOR
the Plug 'N Drive 2020 Electric Vehicle Awards, sponsored
by this Ontario-based group that promotes EV use, and the
Canadian Electricity Association.
The EV Awards recognize auto dealerships and electric
utilities that contribute to the transition to clean-energy
technologies. Awards are made in four categories: three for
dealerships that excel at sales and promotion of fully electric or plug-in hybrid cars; and one for utilities with EV or
charging-station programs.
Last year's winners were two British Columbia dealerships - Campus Nissan and Westwood Honda - and
Bourgeois Chevrolet of Quebec, along with Ontario Power
Generation.
The deadline for entries for the award, launched in 2012,
is July 31. - Steve Mertl
- ANC

Automotive News Canada - July 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - July 2020