GM Oshawa getting $209M upgrade to build next-gen heavy-duty ICE trucks

General Motors will spend $209 million to retool its Oshawa Assembly Plant northeast of Toronto to build the next generation of internal combustion engine (ICE) full-size trucks. However, the automaker said Tuesday that product details and timing related to GM’s future trucks are not being released at this time.

This investment builds on GM’s commitment to Canadian manufacturing, which includes more than $903 million invested in the Oshawa plant in 2020, less than a year after it ceased assembly at the facility.

GM agreed to maintain the integrity of the plant even as it launched an aftermarket parts operation there, leaving the door open for potential investment down the line.

The automaker then agreed to invest the $903 million as part of a collective bargaining agreement, negotiated with Unifor in 2020.

“When people said auto-making was finished in Oshawa back in 2018, we said 'no chance.' Not only has this facility risen from the proverbial ashes, it has become a symbol of Canada’s relentlessness, its drive and desire to build an economy we can be proud of,” Unifor President Lana Payne said after the announcement Tuesday.

Two years ago, Oshawa Assembly delivered one of the fastest plant launches in GM history, “demonstrating the flexibility and agility of the Oshawa workforce,” the automaker said in a statement.

Since it reopened, GM Canada says it has created 2,600 new manufacturing jobs, and thousands of indirect jobs at Canadian suppliers. Production has increased to three shifts, and fifty per cent of new production hires at the Oshawa plant are women.

It produces the Chevrolet Silverado heavy- and light-duty pickups, powered by internal combustion engines.

“Oshawa Assembly plays a critical role in meeting customer demand for GM’s popular full-size trucks, helping GM lead the Canadian industry in heavy-duty truck sales in 2022 and take an early lead in total truck sales for 2023,” GM Canada Marissa West said in a statement. “Today, we are proud to say we will continue to build pickups with Oshawa pride for years to come.”