General Motors Canada President Scott Bell recently told The Canadian Press that Oshawa is already on pace to be one of the fastest plant transformations in GM history.

The Canadian union plans to hold a news conference at 10 a.m. ET Thursday to provide details. The two parties had agreed to talk past a strike deadline overnight.

The shutdown, planned for the week of Nov. 2, comes shortly after a three-week shutdown that ran from Sept. 28 through Oct. 18. The plant assembles the Chrysler Pacifica, Voyager and Grand Caravan.

Toyota's venture capital firm said at CES in January that it would award funding ranging from $500,000 to $2 million to early-stage startups in what it's calling a worldwide "call for innovation” focused on smart, connected cities.

Despite the ongoing pandemic, the Canadian heads of several automakers expressed an optimistic outlook for the new-vehicle market as they reported third-quarter sales. While a majority of companies posted declines, a handful managed to post gains.

The automaker will idle its minivan plant in Windsor, Ontario, for three weeks beginning Sept. 28, just as contract talks between the automaker and Unifor are set to kick into high gear.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and “continued safety measures to stem the spread of the virus,” led Canadian International AutoShow organizers to move the show online from the floor of the Toronto Convention Centre. A virtual edition of the Montreal exhibition will be free of charge.

The supplier also announced that it will acquire a majority stake in its existing seating joint venture with HLZX. The two companies currently operate a 50/50 venture formed in 2015.

Ford Canada is closing its massive parts distribution center in Bramalea and replacing it with two new facilities in eastern and western Ontario "to improve customer satisfaction and expedite parts delivery time to dealers," the company said.

The Canadian supplier finished an industry-leading first in three of seven categories — and second in a fourth — in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study. Lear and Bridgewater Interiors each won a pair of categories.

Sherif Marakby joined Magna on July 6, about eight months after stepping back at Ford, where he was CEO of the automaker’s subsidiary Ford Autonomous Vehicles.

Automakers used words like “challenging” and “unprecedented” to describe the new-vehicle market in Canada during the second quarter, which was crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Detroit 3 all posted declines of 35 percent or more. Toyota deliveries fell 48 percent and Nissan plunged 57 percent

Even with the buyouts, FCA might still have to eliminate about 1,000 jobs at the plant in Windsor, Canada, according to the union.

FCA said it is asking customers to avoid parking their vehicles inside buildings or structures. It’s also advising customers to not park near other vehicles or place wet items or liquids that may spill in the second-row seating area.

With Fiat Chrysler's decision apparently final, executives from the union and automaker met Friday to discuss terms of the upcoming buyouts.