General Motors Canada
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| General Motors Canada | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | Wholly-owned subsidiary |
| Founded | 1918 |
| Headquarters | Oshawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Products | Automobiles Engines |
| Parent | General Motors |
| Website | www.gmcanada.com |
General Motors of Canada Limited (GM Canada) is the name of General Motors' Canadian division. The national headquarters office, their Canadian Regional Engineering Centre, and the main manufacturing plants are located in Oshawa, Ontario.
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[edit] History
Founded in 1918, GM Canada was formed by the purchase of the McLaughlin Motor Car Co., manufacturer since 1907 of the McLaughlin automobile based on the Buick Model F, Canadianized with a McLaughlin carriage as its body. From 1910 onward, the cars were well-known across Canada as McLaughlin-Buicks and prominently identified as such, in recognition of their Buick heritage. Prior to becoming GM Canada, McLaughlin had acquired the approval of William C. Durant, then owner of the Chevrolet Motor Co. and preceding its entry into the GM product line, to produce Chevrolet automobiles in Canada.
GM has historically been one of the largest and most powerful corporations in Canada, and in 1975 it was listed as the third "largest".[1]
General Motors Canada opened its new head office building on the shore of Lake Ontario in 1989. It is a fixture on Highway 401 and usually displays an enormous picture of a new vehicle on the outside of its huge atrium.
GM's Canadian Regional Engineering Centre opened in June, 2001. It is primarily responsible for managing the design and validation of vehicles which are manufactured in Canada, though it supports many joint development efforts with GM operations in other countries.
The manufacturing plants located in Oshawa produce the Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Allure (rebadged as the LaCrosse for the U.S. market) as well as the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks. The three plants have continually garnered top quality ratings by J.D. Power.[2] In 2008, the car plant is scheduled to begin production of the new Chevrolet Camaro.[3] The Oshawa facility was ranked number 1 facility in overall quality in North and South America by J.D. Power and Associates.[citation needed]
General Motors Canada announced a naming rights deal for the General Motors Centre on October 5, 2006. The centre's main tenants will be the Oshawa Generals Junior hockey team, who were named for the corporation in 1937.
[edit] Canadian factories
- CAMI Automotive - Joint venture with Suzuki Motors, located in Ingersoll, Ontario 1989-present
- Oshawa Car Assembly 1950s-present
- Oshawa Truck Assembly - Pick-up truck manufacturing facilitiy scheduled to close 2009
- Oshawa Metal 1986-present
- Windsor Transmission 1963-2010
- St. Catharines Engine/Transmission 1954-2008
- St. Catharines Components
Former plants:
- Scarborough Van Assembly (1963-1993)
- Sainte Therese Assembly (1966-2002)
[edit] Models currently made in Canada
- Buick Allure and Buick LaCrosse
- Chevrolet Equinox
- Chevrolet Impala
- Chevrolet Monte Carlo
- Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra
- Pontiac Grand Prix
- Pontiac Montana SV6
- Pontiac Torrent
[edit] See also
- General Motors
- Oshawa - Detailed history of the early years of GM in Canada.
- Samuel McLaughlin - The first President of GM Canada
- Final Offer - documentary film that shows the 1984 contract negotiations
- Foreign ownership of companies of Canada
[edit] References
- Notes
