Since Henry Ford started large-scale production of cars near Windsor, Ontario, in 1904, Canada has become one of the largest auto-building nations in the world. Almost 120 years later, many of the most popular new cars sold in Canada are made right here. From cars and minivans to SUVs and trucks, if you want a vehicle with a "Made in Canada" label, check out these 14 homegrown models.
2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Canadians love their pickup trucks. That includes Chevrolet's best-selling Silverado, built in Canada at General Motors' Oshawa, Ontario, facility. First constructed as a Chevrolet plant in 1907, since 2021, the Oshawa plant has assembled Chevrolet's light-duty Silverado 1500 and heavy-duty Silverado HD full-size pickup trucks.
For 2023, the Silverado 1500 can be a Double Cab, Crew Cab, or short bed with various engines and trim levels of increasing luxury and capability. The lineup is topped by the $100K-plus Silverado 1500 Crew Cab Short bed ZR2, with its unique off-road suspension and tires, extra underbody protection, and a standard four-wheel drive system.
2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD
The heavy-duty Silverado HD (as in "Heavy Duty") is getting powertrain upgrades, a revised exterior, an overhauled interior, new trailering technology, infotainment, and other active safety technology for 2024. The lineup includes 2500 HD and 3500 HD models in Regular, Double, and Crew Cab forms. If you need to tow, dual-rear-wheel models are available on the 3500 HD, allowing for the lineup's highest trailering capacity of 16,329 kg (36,000 lb).
2023 Chrysler Grand Caravan
Minivans may have dropped in popularity since their heights in the 1980s and '90s, but Chrysler's iconic models continue to be built in Windsor, Ontario, as they have since 1983. Now owned by parent Stellantis, the Windsor plant produced cars badged as Plymouths, Dodges, DeSotos, and Chryslers starting in 1928.
The former Dodge Grand Caravan minivan wears a Chrysler badge in Canada today. It is sold as a Chrysler Voyager in the U.S. Sharing the same platform as the Chrysler Pacifica, the 2023 Grand Caravan offers a lower starting price. It only comes with a base level of equipment compared to the more upscale Pacifica, with only a V6/front-wheel-drive configuration and a limited option menu to keep the costs down.
2023 Chrysler Pacifica
Built alongside the Grand Caravan in Windsor, the 2023 Pacifica offers more variety than its more affordable minivan sibling. On top of the base V6/FWD version, you can order a Pacifica with all-wheel drive (AWD) or a plug-in gas-electric Hybrid that can drive up to 51 kilometres with a full charge. The top-line Pinnacle trim piles on luxurious features like Nappa leather, a suede headliner, a larger center console, and even quilted mini pillows for the second row of seats.
2023 Chrysler 300
First billed as an "American Bentley," the current Chrysler 300 has always been made in Canada, assembled at Stellantis' second Canadian plant in Brampton, Ontario (first built as an American Motors plant in 1986) since the big sedan's arrival for 2005.
Its days may be numbered, as Chrysler 300 production will end following the 2023 model year. But the old-school, full-size luxury sedan still offers a choice of three engines, plus standard rear-wheel drive or optional AWD with the base V6. The big news for 2023 is the return of the 300C, celebrating the nearly 70-year legacy of the high-performance version 300 with a 6.4-litre V8 with 485 horsepower. Interested? You better get your order in ASAP, as there are only 200 copies available in Canada.
2023 Dodge Challenger
Like its Chrysler 300 platform-mate, the Dodge Challenger is made in Brampton, and 2023 will be its last model year. The Dodge coupe still offers a broad lineup as a roomier option to smaller rivals like the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang. From the base, 303-hp SXT through to the 807-hp SRT Super Stock, there are 10 trim levels to choose from.
If you are considering a 2023 Challenger, we highly recommend you have a V8. With 375 hp, the 5.7L engine in the R/T trim is the most affordable. The sweet spot in the Challenger lineup may be the 6.4L unit under the hood of the 485-hp R/T Scat Pack models. You can get an automatic or a manual gearbox with both eight-cylinder engines.
2023 Dodge Charger
Built alongside the Challenger and Chrysler 300, the Dodge Charger sedan has been a made-in-Canada proposition for almost 20 years. Dodge hails the Charger as North America's only four-door muscle car, backing up that claim with two of the world's fastest, most potent sedans: the 797-hp SRT Hellcat and the 807-hp Hellcat Redeye.
2023 Ford Edge
Although Ford started making cars in Canada in the early 20th century, its assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, "only" opened in 1953, producing most of the Fords sold in Canada until 1966.
The Ford Edge two-row mid-size SUV has been built in Oakville since its debut in 2007. Most 2023 Edge trims have a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder making 260 hp. The ST trim turns up the heat with a 335 hp twin-turbo 2.7L V6, giving this practical SUV the performance of a hot hatchback. Interior quality improves in the upper trims with luxuries like leather seats, satin accents, and ambient lighting in the Titanium trim.
2023 Honda Civic Sedan
You're probably aware of the Honda Civic family of compact sedans and hatchbacks as one of the country's best-selling new passenger cars. And since 1988, two years after Honda opened its first Canadian assembly plant in Alliston, Ontario, the Civic has been homegrown. Built alongside the Honda CR-V compact SUV, today's 11th-generation Civic was redesigned for 2022. The two-door coupe is long gone, but the made-in-Canada four-door Sedan, Hatchback (built in the U.S.) and Type-R (assembled in Japan) hot hatch continue.
For 2023, the Civic Sedan can be had with a CVT attached to either a 2.0L four-cylinder making 158 hp in most trims, a turbocharged 1.5L four that makes 185 hp in the top Touring trim and 200 hp in the sporty Si (which also gets an exclusive manual gearbox.)
2023 Honda CR-V
Debuting in the mid-1990s, the "Civic of the SUV world" is precisely the sort of vehicle Canadians have come to love. Unlike the Civic, the CR-V compact SUV has had less production tenure in Canada, with manufacturing starting in 2012.
The current sixth-generation CR-V has been redesigned for 2023, highlighted by the first-ever Hybrid variant. It's only available in the top Touring trim. But you get most of the goodies from the gas-powered EX-L, like the larger nine-inch display, leather seats (heated in both rows), AWD, plus an upgraded sound system.
2024 Lexus NX
Toyota's first Canadian facility in Cambridge, Ontario, opened its doors in late 1988 and started making compact Corollas. A second plant followed in 1997, and a third down the road in Woodstock, Ontario, in 2008. Toyota currently produces the Toyota RAV4, Lexus NX, and RX SUVs between all three plants.
For 2024, the second-generation compact luxury Lexus NX can be powered in four ways. The NX 250 features a 2.5L four-cylinder engine with 203 hp. The 350 gets more performance thanks to a 2.4L turbocharged four making 275 hp. In comparison, the NX 350h gets a self-charging hybrid electric powertrain featuring a 2.5L four-cylinder delivering 240 hp and equally impressive fuel efficiency. Patriots should note that the NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid is built in Japan.
2023 Lexus RX
Since 2003, the RX mid-size luxury SUV has been built in Canada – the first country outside Japan to assemble a Lexus. Two decades later, the redesigned, fifth-generation 2023 RX remains a made-in-Canada model.
With the recent introduction of the three-row 2024 Lexus TX, the all-new 2023 RX is now strictly a two-row model with seating for five on board. The lineup starts with the 275-hp RX 350 and its 2.4L turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Next, the RX 350h gets a traditional hybrid electric system, generating 246 hp. Finally, an all-new RX 500h trim introduces a new hybrid system that delivers 366 hp via a 2.4L turbo-four and electric motor up front, and a rear unit that integrates a high-output electric motor, inverter and reduction gearbox.
2023 Lincoln Nautilus
The Nautilus has been built in Ford's Oakville plant since 2019, replacing the second-generation Lincoln MKX, which was assembled alongside the Ford Edge since both mid-size SUVs debuted in 2006.
The Nautilus is one of the most affordable mid-size luxury SUVs. Compared with something like a Genesis GV80, Lincoln at least has a bit of brand heritage. Safety features and space are also among its prime attributes, found at the lowest trim level. The Lincoln's base 2.0L turbocharged with 250 hp is competitive for this class. But the optional 2.7L turbo-V6 producing 335 hp adds more authority.
2023 Toyota RAV4
First seen in 1997, the RAV4 was one of the first-ever passenger car-based SUVs. It’s become one of Canada's best-selling vehicles and has been built here since 2009. The current fifth-generation RAV4 debuted for the 2020 model year. While the RAV4 Hybrid is produced in the U.S. and the RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid is imported from Japan, the gas-powered versions are built in Toyota’s Ontario plants.
The current 2023 RAV4 does everything most people need a compact SUV to do. Although some rivals have migrated to smaller-displacement engines enhanced by a turbocharger, this internal-combustion-only version of the RAV4 stays with a naturally aspirated 2.5L four-cylinder engine. At least it develops 203 horsepower, making it one of the more muscular members of its compact SUV class, and AWD is standard across four trim levels.
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