Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 11
* DECEMBER 2021
11
Oshawa is building trucks again, but for how long?
THE " BITTER MOMENT " THAT
Unifor leadership and 2,300
workers experienced in 2018
when General Motors
announced it would close its
assembly plant in Oshawa,
Ont., at the end of 2019 has
transformed into a " feel-good
story that nobody saw coming. "
At least according to Unifor
President Jerry Dias.
Not everyone
is convinced
that assembly
is back in
Oshawa for
the long haul.
After a yearlong retooling,
the revived plant produced its
first Chevrolet pickup Nov. 8, in
what the union hopes will be a
new era, both for the plant and
for the Canadian auto industry.
" To have the first pickup
truck roll off the line less than
two years after they stopped
manufacturing is a pretty proud
moment, " Dias said.
GM will call in its second
shift at the plant early next
year, bringing the total number
of jobs created to 1,800. The
union is holding out for a third
shift down the
line. Dias is
confident that
young staff
have secured
long-term positions,
while several
hundred
senior Unifor
members
returning from
layoff are back in jobs they will
someday retire from.
But not all are convinced
that the plant's new lease on
life means vehicle assembly is
back in Oshawa for the long
haul.
Sam Fiorani, vice-president
of global vehicle forecasting at
AutoForecast Solutions LLC, is
more circumspect about the
automaker's motives.
" GM has used this plant a
couple times over the last
decade to put in just enough
production to keep the labour
happy and by connection keep
the citizens of Canada happier
with General Motors products, "
Fiorani said. " But it never
seems to be a long-term ploy. "
The extra production capacity
in Oshawa will help GM keep
up with the competition while
also appeasing Unifor, Fiorani
said. But that does not mean
pickup production will stay in
the city indefinitely.
" While trucks are very popular
and not going anywhere
anytime soon, the use of the
Oshawa plant does seem to be
a temporary source of truck
production, " Fiorani said.
The impending electrification
of GM's lineup, including its
pickups, adds to the uncertainty.
The
profitability of the
Silverado - both light- and
heavy-duty versions will be built
in Oshawa - will help bankroll
the slow shift into electric vehiSEND
US YOUR LETTERS
Please limit submissions to 250 words
and indicate " for publication. "
Automotive News Canada reserves
the right to edit submissions for
content, clarity and brevity. For
verifi cation purposes, please include
your name, title, company name, city,
province and phone number, and
indicate your connection to the auto
industry. Email letters to:
Grace.Macaluso@autonews.com
SELL MORE
www.dealerminecrm.com
Quorum powers dealerships with best-in-class solutions
DealerMine CRM
finds service revenue in your
customer data, personalizes
and automates communication,
and delivers an exceptional
customer experience!
DAVID
KENNEDY
TORONTO
BUREAU
CHIEF
cles, said GM Canada President
Scott Bell.
" It's in great demand, and it
will help fuel the future of our
company and our transition to
EVs over the next 10 years or
so. "
Unifor was able to leverage
this need for pickup capacity to
bring the Oshawa plant back
online, Dias said.
" We had to find a solution
and reopen the plant immediately
because the longer it
stayed closed, the less of a
chance it had to reopen. That's
why we knew the solution was
pickup trucks. "
While the short-term calculus
is clear, where it will leave
Oshawa when GM no longer
needs the gasoline and diesel
pickups is less clear.
This past April, the
automaker pulled back the
curtain on plans to build
an electric Silverado at
Factory Zero in Michigan.
Forecasters expect the
pickup to debut in 2023.
Volumes of the electric
model are certain to take
time to build, but GM's
" temporary source " of
pickup production in
Oshawa, as Fiorani sees it,
could face a new battle for
survival sooner rather than
later. - ANC
Certainly, building Silverado
pickups at Oshawa Assembly is
better than building no trucks at all.
But as the industry shifts to electric
vehicles, where does that leave the
plant? PHOTO: GENERAL MOTORS
MAKE 2022 THE
YEAR OF RECORD
SERVICE REVENUES
http://www.dealerminecrm.com
Automotive News Canada - December 2021
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - December 2021
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - Intro
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 1
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 2
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 3
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 4
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 5
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 6
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 7
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 8
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 9
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 10
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 11
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 12
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 13
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 14
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 15
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 16
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 17
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 18
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 19
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 20
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 21
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 22
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 23
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 24
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 25
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 26
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 27
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 28
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 29
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 30
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 31
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - 32
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F1
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F2
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F3
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F4
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F5
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F6
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F7
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F8
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - RYTEC1
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - RYTEC2
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F9
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F10
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F11
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F12
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F13
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F14
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F15
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F16
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F17
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F18
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F19
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F20
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F21
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F22
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F23
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F24
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F25
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F26
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F27
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F28
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F29
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F30
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F31
Automotive News Canada - December 2021 - F32
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202404_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202403_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202402_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202401_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202312_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202311_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202310_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202309_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202308_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202307_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202306_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202305_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202304_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202303_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202302_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202301_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202212_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202211_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202210_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202209_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202208_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202207_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202206_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202205_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202204_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202203_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202202_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202201_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202112_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202111_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202110_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202109_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202108_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202107_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202106_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202105_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202104_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202103_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202102_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202101_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202012_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202011_ifm
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202011_acg
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202011_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202010_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202009_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202008_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202007_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202006_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202005_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202004_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202003_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_202001_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201912_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201911_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201910_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201909_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201907_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201906_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201904_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201903_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201902_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201901_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201812_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201811_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201810_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201809_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201808_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201807_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201806_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201805_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201804_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201803_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201802_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201801_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201712_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201710_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201709_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201708_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201707_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201706_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201705_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201704_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201701_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201612_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201611_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201610_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201609_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201608_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/canada_201607_v2
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com