COO Bill Lucchini succeeds founder Gary Kalk as the Toronto company looks to further expand its business in the United States and Canada. Kalk becomes executive chairman.

In many ways, the Ontario plant has been synonymous with Canadian auto manufacturing since the turn of the 20th century, its output a symbol of Canadian manufacturing might. If it can be shuttered, is any plant safe?

Unifor President Jerry Dias holds out hope that GM will assemble vehicles again at its Oshawa, Ontario, plant. In the meantime, the union and city prepare for the factory's shift to stamping parts and testing connected-vehicle technology.

What does UAW's success in bargaining with Ford and General Motors mean for Unifor, Canadian autoworkers and new product for Ontario plants?

Pierre Boutin, who also headed VW in Russia, follows Daniel Weissland as chief of VW Group Canada effective Jan. 1. 

The company said it is closing Chevrolet of Lincoln Park and Cadillac of Lincoln Park. AutoCanada executives said the company has lost C$2 million ($1.5 million) on the stores in the first nine months of the year.

The move comes as Ford “strengthens its focus on products in the heart of the fastest growing segments to meet shifting consumer demands,” the automaker said. Flex output ends the week of Nov. 25.

Daniel Weissland will take over the brand's U.S. operations Sept. 1, about four months after Mark Del Rosso's abrupt resignation.

AutoCanada has rebranded its nine U.S. locations as the Leader Automotive Group under a turnaround plan that includes selling underperforming stores, Canada's lone publicly traded dealership group said.

Magna International trimmed its sales forecast for the year, as it expects a drop in vehicle production in North America and Europe due to weak global demand and the impact of U.S.-China trade tensions.

The cutbacks by General Motors in Canada and Mexico come amid declining new-vehicle sales in North America and in other markets and as trade tensions escalate.