GM Canada’s $2 Billion Transformational Investments Are Creating 2,600 New Jobs Now and Canada’s First Electric Vehicle Production by the End of 2022

GM Canada’s $2 Billion Transformational Investments Are Creating 2,600 New Jobs Now and Canada’s First Electric Vehicle Production by the End of 2022.

OSHAWA, ON, April 4, 2022 – GM Canada today announced it will start production at Canada’s first full-scale electric-vehicle manufacturing plant in Ingersoll, Ontario later this year. In addition, at Oshawa Assembly, GM Canada will add light-duty pickup production and a third shift, creating more than 2,600 new jobs since operations resumed at the plant.

Together with the federal and Ontario governments, GM Canada made these announcements at the recently opened Canadian Technical Centre’s (CTC) McLaughlin Advanced Technology Track in Oshawa, Ontario, highlighting the company’s more than $2 billion in investments to transform its manufacturing operations.

Production of BrightDrop’s electric delivery vans will begin at CAMI Assembly in Ingersoll, Ontario in December 2022, following retooling of the plant this spring and summer.

BrightDrop’s first electric delivery van, the BrightDrop Zevo 600 (formerly EV600) was on hand for demonstrations. Also on hand was their new BrightDrop Trace (formerly EP1) electric carts, which were developed and tested in large part by GM’s CTC team in Ontario. 

GM Canada also announced the Oshawa Assembly plant will be adding light-duty pickup production and a third shift of production in the coming months. As a result, Oshawa will be the only GM plant producing both heavy-duty and light-duty pickups, enabling flexibility and responsiveness to the North American market.

With the addition of the third shift, GM Canada will have added more than 2,600 new jobs in the Oshawa plant since it reopened. Fifty percent of new production hires at the Oshawa plant are women, reflecting GM’s focus on diversity in the workplace.

GM also announced it will sign onto the Canada Diversity Challenge and the Canada Net Zero Challenge.

“Working with our government partners we have reopened GM’s Oshawa plant, creating thousands of new jobs and recruiting a record number of women in production roles,” said Marissa West, GM Canada president and managing director. “Later this year, our CAMI plant in Ingersoll will begin Canada’s first full-scale electric vehicle manufacturing with BrightDrop. This partnership with the Governments of Ontario and Canada is helping GM build a more diverse, innovative and sustainable industry and EV supply chain for the future – and we are proud to be doing that right here in Canada.” 

QUOTES

“In Oshawa, Ingersoll, and communities across Ontario, auto manufacturers are stepping up to meet demand for clean vehicles and creating thousands of good jobs in the process. Today’s investment is an investment in our workers, our communities, and our future. Partnerships like these are critical to putting Canada on the cutting edge of the clean economy, creating thousands of new jobs, and making sure that future generations have a clean environment to live in.”

Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, said:

“This vote of confidence by General Motors in Ontario is more proof that by attracting game-changing investments our government is securing our auto sector for the next generation of workers. This investment will secure 2,600 jobs here in Oshawa and is a huge win for the people of Durham and Ontario’s auto sector. It shows once again that the cars of the future will be made right here in Ontario by Ontario workers.”

The Honourable Doug Ford, Ontario Premier, said:

“This is proof that Canada’s auto sector is here for the long term. What today’s announcement means for Canadians is more jobs, more clean vehicles and more economic growth. GM’s continued commitment to its facilities in Canada, and its decision to set up the country’s first electric vehicle production facility, highlight how Canada is a world leader in building the vehicles of the future.”

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, said:

“Ontario is proud to support GM’s major investment in their Oshawa and Ingersoll plants to manufacture the company’s next-generation models, including the new all-electric BrightDrop commercial vehicle. By reducing the cost of doing business in Ontario by nearly $7 billion annually, our government has created the right economic conditions to attract yet another historic investment that further positions Ontario as a North American leader in developing and building the cars of the future.”

The Honourable Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, said:

GM CANADA FAST FACTS

• GM is transforming quickly toward an all-electric future.
• GM plans to introduce 30 all-new EVs globally through 2025, two-thirds of which will be available in the North America.
• These new EVs will be based on the Ultium Platform which encompasses a common electric vehicle architecture and propulsion components like battery cells, modules, packs, Ultium Drive units, EV motors and integrated power electronics that can be tailored to the needs of different vehicles, from crossovers to pickups to delivery vans.
• By the end of 2025, GM plans to have capacity to build 1 million electric vehicles in North America, and the company targets the majority of components by value to be sustainably sourced, processed or manufactured in North America.
• GM and POSCO Chemical recently announced they are building a C$500 million facility in Bécancour, Quebec to produce cathode active material for GM’s Ultium batteries, which will power GM electric vehicles.
• GM has engineering, manufacturing, sales and office staffs across Canada, and its work supports thousands of additional jobs in the Canadian supplier base.

SOURCE General Motors Co.