Automotive News Canada - November 2022 - 36

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11.22
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FINAL ASSEMBLY
* NOVEMBER 2022
LETTING LOOSE A BIT ON THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF AUTOMOTIVE
It's history without the 'his'
In a first, top GM
execs and Unifor's
leader are all women
GM CANADA PRESIDENT
Marissa West highlighted a historic
first when General Motors
CEO Mary Barra visited Oshawa
Assembly in Ontario.
During the Oct. 13 stop, Barra
met with West and Lana Payne,
the newly minted Unifor national
president.
" The informal meeting was
incredibly special, as it's the
first time the leaders of General
Motors, GM Canada and Unifor
are all women! " West wrote in a
LinkedIn post. " It was an extremely
proud moment and an excellent
reminder of the progress we have
made in diversity and inclusion in
the auto industry. "
October marked the 30th anniversary
of Women's History Month,
noted West, who also gave a shoutout
to a pair of GM employees.
Jacquie Richards,
BrightDrop quality launch manager
at the CAMI Assembly plant
in Ingersoll, Ont., accepted the
Women of Colour Technology
Rising Star award for her " instrumental
work in developing quality
standards for BrightDrop Zevo 600
production. "
For the third year in a row,
Stephanie Thompson, a GM manufacturing
engineering manager,
was recognized as one of Canada's
Most Powerful Women by the
Women Executive Network, West
said. - ANC
From left, Payne, Barra, West: For three women in the auto
industry, a meet-and-greet feat. PHOTO: LINKEDIN
THIS NUMBER
$1.3M
The investment Ford's Canadian
dealers face if they want to sell
electric vehicles. The deadline
to decide is Dec. 16.
Female, fast, first, at last
Racer hopes her title
will inspire other
female drivers
A GLASS CEILING IN
Canadian road racing has been
shattered.
Valérie Limoges of Candiac,
Que., south of Montreal, is the
first woman to be crowned
champion of a Canadian road
racing season after the final
event of 2022 in the Nissan
Sentra Cup series.
" This is a big day for me. I'm
delighted to have won the title
and to have been so consistent
all year long, " Limoges said in a
statement. " I hope my title will
encourage other female drivers
to join this series and to get
involved in motorsport in general. "
For
the 12-race Sentra Cup,
drivers compete in Sentra
sedans that are modified for racing
by Nissan.
It came down to the last
race of the season, Sept. 25, at
Third place in the final race
was good enough for Valérie
Limoges to be crowned
champion in the Nissan Sentra
Cup series. SUPPLIED PHOTO
Circuit Mont-Tremblant north
of Montreal, and a tight battle
between the race winner, Simon
Charbonneau, second-place finisher
Alexandre Fortin and
Limoges, finishing just behind
in third. That earned her
enough championship points to
eclipse Charbonneau, 482 to 479.
Fortin finished the season in
third place. - ANC
An F-150 Lightning, its
battery charged by the
sun, got up to speed to get
a glider up and running.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
ELECTRIC TRAVEL? WING IT
Glider takes flight at the
speed of Lightning
NOVA SCOTIA-BASED ALL EV CANADA
took zero-emission travel to the skies in late
October.
The retailer of used electric vehicles,
owned by Steele Auto Group, has one
location in Nova Scotia and one in New
Brunswick.
All EV Canada used a 2023 Ford F-150
Lightning EV - charged by solar power in
keeping with the zero-emission theme - as
a tow vehicle to launch a glider from Debert
Airport in Debert, N.S., 110 kilometres north
of Halifax.
Jeremie Bernardin, business development
manager, said the event was designed to
draw attention to zero-emission travel.
" We thought it would be cool. We know
electrified aviation is knocking on the doors,
though not yet happening on a commercial
basis. "
The pilots were Robert Francis, a certified
gliding instructor and Gliding Association
of Nova Scotia chairman, and James Harper,
the co-owner of the glider.
Following the initial flight, the Lightning's
10 120-volt power outlets were used to cook
lunch for the crew: chili in a slow cooker,
chicken wings in an air fryer, hamburgers
on an electric grill, and there was a coffee
machine.
After lunch, a handful of participants who
donated to the local charity We Are Young
went up with Francis and Harper alternating
as pilots.
According to its website, " We Are Young
... grants unfulfilled wishes to seniors living in
Nova Scotia. " - ANC
Documentary gives Tesla its close-up
Film to show brand's
role in EV progress
'
SAY WHAT?
Women have this new, untouched
territory where we can start placing
ourselves. I think it's opening a lot
more opportunity for women today.
GRETA CUTULENCO, CEO of Acerta Analytics,
on how emerging technologies are presenting new
automotive job opportunities for women
Pinsonneault: " It appears
we're close to a transfer
because people's acceptance
of the electric vehicle is real. "
SUPPLIED PHOTO
CHATHAM, ONT., REAL
estate agent Patrick
Pinsonneault is producing a
documentary exploring Tesla's
role in the evolution of the electric-vehicle
market.
Pinsonneault, who owns two
2010 Tesla Roadsters and a 2022
Model S Plaid and is known as
" Mr. Tesla Canada, " hopes to
answer the question of whether
North America is at a tipping
point for the leap into EVs.
" It appears we're close to a
transfer because people's acceptance
of the electric vehicle
is real, " he told the Chatham
Daily News. " They see what it
does. "
Pinsonneault has partnered
with Hollywood filmmaker
and Tesla owner Marvin
Hayes, who calls the production
" authentic, homegrown,
grounded. ...This is an organic
way of presenting information. "
A release date has not been
specified, but filming wrapped
in early October and postproduction
is expected to take a
few months. Scenes were shot
in Windsor and Niagara Falls,
and at the Henry Ford Museum
of American Innovation in
Dearborn, Mich. - ANC
'
Automotive News Canada - November 2022

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