General Motors has announced it is shifting production of its current full-size pickups to Oshawa while it tools up its Michigan and Indiana plants to build next-generation versions of the popular trucks.
Automotive News reports that GM will ship partly-assembled versions of the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado and 2018 GMC Sierra trucks from Fort Wayne, Indiana, where 500 newly hired workers will finish building and paint them.
It's good news for an Oshawa factory whose future was in doubt. According to GM Canada, it currently builds the Cadillac XTS and Chevrolet Equinox. The manufacturer recently refocused Equinox production to Mexico and the full-size XTS sedan competes in a category losing steam in the face of the growing popularity of upscale SUVs and crossovers.
This wouldn't be the first time GM has built two generations of one model at the same time. It did so most recently when the recently redesigned Equinox launched, and sent outgoing-generation models to Ingersoll for finishing touches.
And Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will build its current 2018 Ram 1500 alongside a brand new version when the redesigned truck debuts next year.
GM expects to the Oshawa plant to turn out about 60,000 trucks a year, but the company hasn't committed to a fixed timeline for Oshawa truck production. Spokesperson Jennifer Wright told Automotive News that "the length of the program in Oshawa will be dependent on market demand."
You may also like
