Oshawa May Have Nabbed Future Truck Production From Flint

Shortly after the stroke of midnight, Jerry Dias and the rest of the Unifor-GM bargaining committee sat down in front of reporters immediately after marathon negotiations. Dias, the president of Unifor, was elated.

“I am pleased to announce to our members … that we have found a solution for your facilities,” he said to Oshawa workers through the media and the press conference live stream.

Indeed, Oshawa was saved.

That’s not to say there won’t be some pain — the Consolidated Line at Oshawa will still close on schedule in 2017 when GM begins production of a redesigned Equinox, and the union made some pension concessions — but, at least for now, the clouds have parted over one of Canada’s longest-standing auto-producing towns.

Yet, the announcement raised more questions as it answered. And there are two major unknowns yet to be revealed: the products allocated to the Oshawa and St. Catharines plants.

Read more
  • Detlump I almost bought a dark red one of these when I was cross-shopping Volvo wagons. I didn't like the frameless glass of the doors but it was a close call. I wanted a wagon for my hockey gear and also carrying parts as I was an engineer at the time. SUVs weren't a thing at that point and I wanted an enclosed, secure cargo area.I ended up going with a 95 850 wagon and it has served me well. The only time it left me stranded (temporarily) was when the coil wire popped off. I also got a flat tire, but I can't blame the Volvo for that. BTW, I still have the 950 with 263,000 miles - just changed the timing belt too - I have that process down to about an hour by now!
  • Wjtinfwb 18 year old Euro with admitted "issues". RUN from this money pit. My experience with European cars is time is more of an enemy than Mileage. I'd rather a 5 year old BMW with 120k miles than a 15 year old one with 50k. Electronics, wiring, plastics, exterior trim etc. just crumble with time, particularly if the car has lived in a harsh climate outside. I have folders of receipts from BMW, VW and Audi shops if you'd like to see the evidence of my thesis.
  • Wjtinfwb We too have a Subaru, a '16 Crosstrek. Aside from it's appetite for batteries (or crappy Subaru batteries), so far it's been a reliable ride, but from day one I've always thought it felt flimsy. I'm sure we'll get good service out of it and have no plans to replace it, but won't be surprised if it starts nickel and diming up as all those plastics and the electronics start to age.
  • Bd2 Excellent article, very nice car. Thank you Murilee.
  • Make_light I like Subarus, and I often think they don't get enough credit for how they drive. Lots of people say it's the faux-rugged image that accounts for their popularity, but they also drive with a solidity and plantedness that's absent from a lot of the Japanese competition. That being said, this thing is ugly. I never felt that Subarus were as ugly as commenters claim they are. Boring, sure, but not necessarily ugly. But between this and the refreshed Legacy, it's like they're trying to make their vehicles look as incohesive and awkward as possible.