General Motors Canada
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| Type | Wholly owned subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1918 |
| Headquarters | Oshawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Key people | Arturo S. Elias, President and Managing Director, GM of Canada Limited |
| Products | Automobiles Engines |
| Revenue | $31.675 billion (FY,2007) |
| Employees | 12,000 |
| Parent | General Motors |
| Website | www.gm.ca |
General Motors of Canada Limited (GM Canada) (French: General Motors du Canada Limitée) is General Motors' Canadian division. Its national headquarters office, Canadian Regional Engineering Centre, and main manufacturing plants are located in Oshawa, Ontario. GM Canada is 100% owned by GM.[1]
As of Apr. 24, 2009, GM Canada has received a combined loan commitment of C$3 billion from the Canadian and Ontario governments to help it deal with major financial problems amid falling sales.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
McLaughlin Car Company of Canada was founded in 1907 when Samuel McLaughlin and William C. Durant agreed to a contract to produce Buick Model F power trains for 15 years at cost plus. The cars became known as McLaughlin Buicks. In 1908 Durant and McLaughlin started General Motors Holding Company after Durant exchanged $500,000.00 of Buick stock for $500,000.00 of McLaughlin Motor Co. stock. McLaughlin also exchanged his Buick stock for General Motors stock, and in 1910 was invited to be on the board of General Motors in Detroit.
In 1915 McLaughlin acquired the Chevrolet Car Company of Canada, which built Chevrolets in Oshawa with Chevrolet motors and McLaughlin bodies. In 1918 he merged his company with it under the name General Motors of Canada prior to his becoming director and vice president of General Motors on the approval of Durant, who was then president of General Motors and owner of the Chevrolet Motor Co.[3]
GM Canada is a private subsidiary that is wholly incorporated by General Motors, so information such as assets, revenues, and profits is not disclosed. Nonetheless, GM Canada has historically been one of the largest and most powerful corporations in Canada, being listed as the third "largest" in 1975, and being comparable to several publicly traded companies such as BCE, George Weston Limited, and Royal Bank of Canada.[4]
General Motors of 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 its huge glass atrium. This is a Rented structure of General Motors Corporation.
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 from 1915 and today Camaro and Chevrolet Truck Company of Canada 1919.Cadillac and LaSalle were built here too. The Oshawa plants have regularly garnered top quality ratings by J.D. Power.[5] The Oshawa facility was ranked number 1 facility in overall quality in North and South America by J.D. Power and Associates.[citation needed] The Truck Plant was closed to give industry to Mexico,and reopen old Saturn Plants.
General Motors of Canada announced a naming rights deal for the General Motors Centre in Oshawa on October 5, 2006. The centre's main tenants will be the Oshawa Generals Junior hockey team, who were named for the company in 1937.
On 27 April 2009, GM Canada announced that it would cut over half of its Canadian jobs and close 40% of its Canadian dealerships by 2014 in response to its parent company's dire financial straits.[6] The Canadian Government owns 12% of General Motors stock today. The Government has not proven General Motors Corporation ,ownership in General Motors of Canada allowing the company to be removed from Canada. The Durant ,McLaughlin 15 Year Contract in 1907 left McLaughlin with $500,000.00 of Buick stock in a Company that in 1907 was going under, Buick was only worth $500.000.00 in 1906. This has been told GM had 49% of McLaughlin,GM Holding started in 1908 . McLaughlin had 49% of Buick with $500,000.00 in 1907. in 1918 it was merged with the Corporation with no purchase recorded to date.McLaughlin sold off his GM stocks in 1964 for $15,000,000.00. This Begs to prove Ownership of General Motors of Canada.
[edit] 2008 Canadian Auto Workers bargaining
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In an unusual move, General Motors and the Canadian Auto Workers union reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining contract on May 15, 2008, a full four months before the existing contract was due to expire. As part of the agreement, GM pledged to maintain production at the Oshawa, Ontario pickup truck plant and made other production commitments.Gm had a Pension fund in the early 1970's of over 19 billion dollars and the UAW allowed the company to use it to Purchase Hughes, EDS, and start Saturn so retirees that were retired with over 30 years in 1993 lost their Pension Cost of Living increases because of Government interference in Pension Plans 12 years prior to this Loan to an American Company?
On June 3, 2008, less than three weeks after ratification of the new contract, GM announced that, due to soaring gasoline prices and plummeting truck sales, it would close four additional truck and SUV plants, including the Plant that started in Oshawa 1923 as General Motors Truck Company of Canada Limited Oshawa pickup plant.[7]
In response, the CAW organized a blockade of the GM of Canada headquarters in Oshawa. The blockade was ended by an Ontario Superior Court order, after 12 days. Further discussions between GM and the CAW resulted in an agreement to compensate workers at the truck plant and additional product commitments for the plant established in Oshawa in 1907 by McLaughlin Family Oshawa car assembly plant.[8]
[edit] Canadian factories
| Plant | Location | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAMI Automotive | 300 Ingersoll Street, Ingersoll, Ontario |
1989 | GMCL bought out the Suzuki Motors share (50%) on Dec 4 2009 and the plant is now wholly owned by GMCL
Produces GMC Terrain, and Chevrolet Equinox |
|
| Oshawa Car Assembly (Oshawa Assembly Plant #1) | 1000 Park Road South, Oshawa, Ontario |
1950s | Plant started in 1907 with Buick agreement Produces |
|
| Oshawa Metal | 900 Park Road South, Oshawa, Ontario |
1986 | ||
| St. Catharines Engine/Transmission | 570 Glendale Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario |
1954 | ||
| St. Catharines Components | 285 Ontario Street, St. Catharines, Ontario |
2010 |
Former plants:
| Plant | Location | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oshawa North Fabrication Plant | Oshawa, Ontario | 1988 | ~2000 | |
| Oshawa Battery Plant | Stevenson Road, Oshawa, Ontario |
? | ~2005 | |
| GM Annex Windsor Ontario | 1508 Walker Road, Windsor, Ontario |
1940 | ~1993 | now Windsor Expo Centre; main Walker Plant built in 1928; administrative building demolished 1981; formerly Essex Stock Plant 1880s-1919 [9] |
| GM Trim plant Windsor,Ontario | 1600 Lauzon Road, Windsor, Ontario |
1965 | 2008 | sold to Peregrine Acquisition Incorporated and continued trim operations; sold Peregine was acquired by Lear Corporation; 700,000 sq ft (65,000 m2). plant has since closed and was being sold by DTZ Barnicke.The plant has been since demolished |
| Scarborough Van Assembly | 1899-1900 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario |
1963 | 1993 | now Eglinton Town Centre |
| Sainte-Thérèse Assembly | 2500 boulevard De la Grande-Allée, Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec |
1966 | 2002 | demolished; now residential and commercial development (Faubourg Boisbrand) |
| Diesel Division of GM Canada | 1000 Blvd. Industriel, Saint-Eustache, Quebec |
1965 | 1987 | bus plant now NovaBus LFS assembly plant; also home to NovaBus design, administration and sales teams |
| General Motors Diesel of General Motors of Canada | 2021 Oxford Street East (locomotive) 1991 Oxford Street East (GDLS) London, Ontario |
1950 | 2005 | locomotive and military plant - sold to Electro-Motive Diesel (locomotive division) and General Dynamics Land Systems (military vehicles) |
| Windsor Transmission | 1550 Kildare Road, Windsor, Ontario |
1963 | 2010 | |
| Oshawa Truck Assembly 1918 (Oshawa Assembly Plant #2) Moved to the South end from uptown 1965 |
1100 Park Road South, Oshawa, Ontario |
1918 1965 |
2009 | built Chevrolet Trucks, became General Motors Company of Canada Ltd.in 1923 light truck manufacturing facility closed May 14, 2009 |
[edit] Models currently made in Canada
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- Buick Regal Oshawa Car
- Chevrolet Camaro Oshawa Car
- Chevrolet Equinox Ingersoll CAMI Automotive
- Chevrolet Impala Oshawa Car
- GMC Terrain Ingersoll CAMI Automotive
[edit] Vehicles exclusive to Canada
- Pontiac Astre (1973–1975)
- Pontiac Parisienne
- Chevrolet Tracker (1989–1992, rebadged as Geo although with Chevrolet logo on grille from 1992)
- GMC Tracker (1989–1991)
- Asuna Sunrunner (1991–1994)
- Pontiac Sunrunner (1994–1998)
- Buick Allure (2005–2010, rebadged Buick LaCrosse for Canadian market)
- Pontiac G3 Wave (2005–2008, from 2009 offered in United States and Mexico as well.)
- Pontiac Montana SV6 (2005–2009)
- Chevrolet Epica (2004–2006), also offered in Europe and China
[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
- Canadian Military Pattern truck - An important part of GM Canada's contribution to the war effort in World War II
- Oshawa Generals and General Motors Centre
[edit] References
- ^ Deborah C. Sawyer, The Canadian Encyclopedia. "General Motors of Canada Limited". http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0003200. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
- ^ Industry Canada (2009-03-30). "The Governments of Canada and Ontario Reject Automakers' Restructuring Plans". http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ic1.nsf/eng/04535.html. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
- ^ "History of GM Canada". Gm.ca. http://www.gm.ca/inm/gmcanada/english/about/OverviewHist/hist_gm_canada.html. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
- ^ The Top 200 - Canada's Largest Companies c1973-74 - Business[dead link]
- ^ "J.D. Power and Associates". Jdpower.com. 2010-11-29. http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
- ^ "GM to drop Pontiac in 2010, cut thousands more jobs". CBC News. April 27, 2009. http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2009/04/27/gm-pontiac-gone.html.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "This page is available to GlobePlus subscribers". Theglobeandmail.com. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080728.RGM28/TPStory/Business. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
- ^ Chris Edwards (2007-05-10). "From Cows to Cars: G.M. Celebrates 80 years in Walkerville". Walkervilletimes.com. http://www.walkervilletimes.com/gm.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
