-
Toyota Tsusho Corp. (TTC), the trading unit of Asia’s largest auto maker, has agreed to buy all of Montreal-based Matamec Explorations’s output from its Kipawa mine deposit in the Témiscamingue region of Quebec. The non-binding deal between TTC and Matamec is conditional on conclusive results from a feasibility study of the economics of the Kipawa project. TTC is paying $17.5 million for its position, which will give it a supply of metals needed for its hybrid and electric vehicles.
-
Honda announced it will begin manufacturing the 2012 CR-V compact sports utility vehicles in Alliston, Ont., in early 2012. The Japanese automaker said it had hired 400 workers to accommodate the new vehicle line, and would produce all CR-Vs sold in Canada there. The news of increased production in Alliston will be welcomed after a difficult year in which Honda’s North American plants have been hampered by parts supply issues first in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, and most recently by the flooding in Thailand. Honda has reduced production by up 50% at its North American plants throughout November, including in Alliston, where Honda currently employs 4,200 workers.
-
Dana has been selected to receive a $2 million technology grant from the province of Ontario for the developing and manufacturing of lithium-ion battery cooling technologies that will be used in electric cars. The grant will support the company’s work at its Oakville and Cambridge locations and allow for the company to work together with several universities in Ontario to develop the battery cooling systems. Based on the anticipated growth from the grant, Dana is expected to invest up to $37 million into its Oakville and Cambridge locations over the next five years, which could create more jobs in each of the facilities.
-
Ford Motor Co of Canada has discussed future investments in a vehicle assembly plant near Toronto with the governments of Canada and Ontario but has not officially requested financial support, said the company's CEO. Ontario's minister of economic development and trade, Sandra Pupatello, confirmed that a proposed retooling of the Oakville plant, west of Toronto, had come up in ongoing talks. She would not comment on the specific project but said generally the province is prepared to offer financial support to keep the automotive sector competitive. The Oakville plant currently produces crossover utility vehicles, including the Ford Edge, but the company has talked for the past two years about the possibility of broadening its output to incorporate a so-called global vehicle platform.
-
Industry leaders, researchers and students now have the General Motors of Canada Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE) at the University of Ontario’s Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Ontario, to create and test automotive innovations. The Minister of Economic Development and Trade, said that "Ontario's auto sector has turned an important corner with all five of the province's vehicle manufacturers recently announcing production, employment and investments increases.”
-
Toyota's two Ontario plants are getting a $545 million expansion and overhaul, backed by almost $71 million from each of the governments of Canada and Ontario. The Cambridge and Woodstock plants employ about 6,500 people. The province says Ontario's investment will help "secure" those jobs. The occasion marked the first time the federal government has invested in the automotive industry since spending more than $12 billion to bail out Chrysler and GM during the recession in 2008 and 2009.
-
The University of Ontario Institute of Technology announced the opening of the General Motors of Canada Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE), a facility for climatic, durability and lifecycle testing. The $100 million ACE facility also incorporates one of the largest and most sophisticated climatic wind tunnels in the world. It was developed in partnership with UOIT, General Motors of Canada Ltd. (GMCL), the Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE), the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada.
-
British auto maker, Rolls-Royce, is looking to increase its presence in Canada with a third franchise in the country, located in Montreal, following the ones operating in Vancouver and Toronto. "North America is Rolls-Royce's largest market. With the addition of our new Montreal franchise, partnering our Toronto and Vancouver dealerships, we can now serve our customers wherever they may be in Canada," said Torsten Muller-Otvos, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
-
David Mondragon, CEO of Ford Motor Co. of Canada, believes Quebec and Canada will play a significant role for the company in coming years. Despite the downturn and high gas prices, there are currently 85 independent dealerships across Quebec, which are investing on average more than $1 million each on sales and maintenance operations. Mondragon said the automaker will continue to invest heavily in Canada with almost all its parts being sourced in Ontario and the U.S. because of proximity to Oakville.
-
Windsor, Ontario, is being called one of the "Top 10 American cities of the future" according to a list compiled by fDi Magazine, a publication of the Financial Times of London. The cities were ranked on the potential for foreign investment, economic development and business expansion. Windsor took the second rank and Mississauga took the 6th position. Windsor's second-place ranking in the "economic potential" category coincides with the Conference Board of Canada's expectation that the Windsor-Essex economy will outperform all other Canadian cities this year.
-
GM is mulling an aggressive push into Canada's major urban centres to win customers in cities like Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto. For GM, this strategy is a key priority for 2011, as it looks to rebuild its market share in the aftermath of its restructuring. Part of the company's strategy is to introduce several new city-friendly vehicles and offer leasing options for those vehicles.
-
BatHium Canada, which specializes in the development and marketing of lithium-metal-polymer batteries, announced an expansion project for its Boucherville, Quebec site. The company has invested $176 million and will create 245 new jobs over the next five years in addition to the current 67 jobs. BatHium Canada is a subsidiary of France's Bolloré Group. The company said the lithium-metal-polymer battery expansion is to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles.
-
Mercedes-Benz announced plans to expand its Canadian operations as part of a larger push in to the next generation of clean, zero-emission electric cars. Mercedes-Benz Canada will be setting up its own production of "fuel cell stacks" in a facility slated for Burnaby, B.C. A fuel cell stack is a key component in fuel-cell powered electric cars.
-
Rising global vehicle sales and profitability have encouraged automakers to continue to increase vehicle production, providing the global economy with some positive offset to the dampening impact of the recent surge in energy prices, according to Scotia Economics' Global Auto Report. "During the latest financial reporting season, virtually every automaker increased their full-year 2011 global sales forecast and boosted their production schedule for the opening months of 2011," said Carlos Gomes, Senior Economist, Scotia Economics. According to the report, China will lead the increase in vehicle output and the NAFTA region (Canada, the U.S. and Mexico) is also expected to post a solid increase in vehicle assemblies for 2011. Canada is scheduled to post the largest increase in vehicle output across North America in early 2011, as production ramps up following the late-2010 retooling at a major car plant in Brampton, Ontario.
-
General Motors confirmed it will build the next version of its Chevrolet Camaro in Oshawa, Ontario. The company's 2012 Camaro ZL1 will probably mean incremental job increases at the Oshawa complex because the extra production won't generate huge volumes, according to industry insiders. The plant, which employs about 4,000 workers, is the only operation in the world that assembles the Camaro. It started making a convertible version recently.
-
Canadian car manufacturers, such as Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, are riding a wave of positive news. Canadian automobile demand has risen since 2009 and so too has production output. Consumer demand for new vehicles rose 6.6% in Canada in 2010, while Canadian vehicle production increased by 41.2% compared to 2009. Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association members have invested over $8 billion in Canada over the past decade. The investments have gone into more efficient flexible manufacturing processes, ensuring new product mandates, while improving the environmental performance of the facilities and vehicles and engines being produced.
-
The Government of Canada announced a project to develop a new hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), supported by the Automotive Partnership Canada program, which will boost automotive R&D and will strengthen Canada's economy over the long term. The $6.7 million grant will help a much bigger project worth $12.5 million. Funding for this project will help to position Quebec as a hub of expertise in HEV technology and will increase the number of professionals in this specialized area.
-
The Globe and Mail reports that GM Canada has added 700 employees to support a second shift on its flex line at the Oshawa, Ont., assembly plant. It is reported that the additional workers are needed in preparation for the 2011 launch of two new models.
-
Following its initial launch with 45 dealers in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, Scion will expand in 2011 with 40 Phase II dealers in 30 more markets across Canada next spring. Scion will continue to explore market opportunities across Canada and expects to identify candidates for expansion in even more markets.
-
General Motors of Canada is adding 600 employees at its Oshawa, Ont., assembly plant to meet demand for the Chevrolet Equinox. The workers will staff a third shift, with work beginning immediately. The third shift marks the final stage of the previously announced suite of capacity increases for the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain.
