General Motors To Invest In Oshawa R&D

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

The closing of the Oshawa Consolidated Line supposedly had GM in the bailout doghouse – the company was supposed to maintain a certain level of production in Canada according to the terms of their bailout package. As far as we know, GM hasn’t replenished that yet, but they are throwing the Canadian federal and Ontario governments a bone by investing an undisclosed nine-figure sum into R&D at Oshawa.

A report in The Globe and Mail explains the funding increase

“One of the promises GM Canada made to the two governments in 2009 was that it would spend about $1-billion on research and development projects between then and 2016…The projects to be initiated or expanded between now and 2016 are expected to focus on environmental technologies, electric vehicles, vehicle weight reduction and so-called intelligent transportation systems.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Ontario Premier Dalton McGunity are expected to be in attendance, though the recent string of gun deaths in Toronto will likely dominate the media scrum. That means that nobody will ask GM how it plans on meeting other bailout conditions, like

“As part of its 2009 commitments, GM Canada also agreed that its Canadian plants would produce 16 per cent of the vehicles General Motors Co. assembled in North America between 2009 and 2016…a fuel-efficient transmission at its St. Catharines, Ont., operation and… assembly of five new vehicles in Oshawa or Ingersoll during the same period.”

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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 6 comments
  • El scotto El scotto on Jul 24, 2012

    *cough* vehicle weight reduction *cough* maybe GM can engineer their way out of one of the worst of the malaise era legacies.

    • Mike978 Mike978 on Jul 24, 2012

      They seem to have the weight issue sorted out for the ATS. Time will tell if this is a one off or not.

  • Dcars Dcars on Jul 24, 2012

    The ATS looks like a very nice car and the trunk is big enough to carry some Labatt Blue. To save weight I've reduced the amount beer in the car by eliminating the Buds. An idea that many Canadians will appreciate.

  • Oboylepr Oboylepr on Jul 24, 2012

    Smoke and mirrors, that's all. Typical GM, all show and no go! No jobs saved, no jobs created and no security in the jobs that are left. Who do McGuinty and Harper think they are fooling?

  • Dimwit Dimwit on Jul 24, 2012

    The figure seems to be $810 mill to be spent by 2016. Whether it will account for anything of substance is an open question. Doesn't replace an assembly plant in the slightest.

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