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Oshawa Assembly (also known simply as ''GM Oshawa'') is a manufacturing facility in the city of
Oshawa Oshawa ( , also ; 2021 population 175,383; Census Metropolitan Area, CMA 415,311) is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of Downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the ...
, Ontario, Canada, that built various
automobiles A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...
for General Motors Canada. Vehicles were primarily produced for the US, Canadian, and Mexican markets, but they also built exports for various countries around the world, particularly South America and the Middle East. Historically the Oshawa plant was the source of all right-hand-drive market GM exports with complete vehicles or
knock-down kit A knock-down kit (also knockdown kit, knocked-down kit, or simply knockdown or KD) is a collection of parts required to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, then exported to another country or region ...
s shipped to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom until the end of the 1960s. At one time, the factory was one of the largest auto manufacturing facilities in the world, with two car assembly plants, a truck assembly plant, as well as parts production including Harrison radiators, AC Delco batteries (for both GM and other vehicle manufacturers) and
American Axle American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc. (AAM), headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, is an American manufacturer of automobile driveline and drivetrain components and systems. History AAM was founded in 1994 when a private investor group, led by R ...
. Between 1999 and 2019, it had won more quality and productivity awards than any other GM plant. The plant is part of the larger GM Autoplex. The facility has over 10 million square feet (930,000 m²) of vacant factory floor. It was converted to a state of the art flexible manufacturing facility in 2008, which involved the consolidation of two car plants under the same roof and the addition of a $1.3B paint shop which can accommodate 27 different body styles, including cars, pick up trucks and vans. Approximately 3,600 hourly and 400 salaried employees were working at the plant, with many more engineers working at GM's Regional Engineering Centre across the road. The hourly-rated workers were represented by their union, Unifor Local 222. In August 2017, it was rated highly by its employees in The Best Places to Work in Canada rankings by Indeed, garnering 4th spot overall, and 1st for wages and benefits. On November 26, 2018, GM announced that production of new cars at Oshawa would wind down in 2019 and cease by the end of the year. The closure would affect 2,500 union workers and 300 management. On May 8, 2019 GM announced they would be spending $170 million ( CAD) to transition the plant from vehicle assembly to the production of body stampings and other subassemblies, and would convert 22 hectares (220,000 m²) of the facility to a
test track Test Track is a high-speed slot car thrill ride located in World Discovery at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The ride is a simulated excursion through the rigorous testing procedures that General Moto ...
for the development of
autonomous vehicles Vehicular automation involves the use of mechatronics, artificial intelligence, and multi-agent systems to assist the operator of a vehicle (car, aircraft, watercraft, or otherwise).Hu, J.; Bhowmick, P.; Lanzon, A.,Group Coordinated Control o ...
.


History

The facility had produced vehicles since 1907. It was one of six locations building
Chevrolet Motor Company Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and oust ...
automobiles before it was acquired by General Motors in 1918.2 May 1918 - GM buys Chevrolet
at the History Channel
In January 1918, Oshawa became the first Canadian GM plant to minimize the issue of large scale layoffs by cutting the second shift and alternating day- and night-shift workers at two-week intervals. This system was later adopted at other plants around the continent. From its beginnings, the Oshawa plant supplied right-hand-drive vehicles to international markets in kit form for local assembly, or as completed vehicles until the late 1960s. International markets saw U.S and Canadian-only GM vehicles such as the Bel Air,
Pontiac Parisienne The Pontiac Parisienne is a full-size rear-wheel drive vehicle that was sold by Pontiac on the GM B platform in Canada from 1958 to 1986 and in the United States from 1983 to 1986. Right-hand drive models were locally assembled in Australia, New ...
, Pontiac Laurentian, and
Chevrolet Impala The Chevrolet Impala () is a full-size car built by Chevrolet for model years 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 to 2020. The Impala was Chevrolet's popular flagship passenger car and was among the better-selling American-made automobiles in ...
. In the mid-1980s, GM began a large transformation of the facility, naming the site "Autoplex." The changeover came in three steps, the first being conversion of the truck plant to GMT400 production in 1986. The next step was retooling Line 2 for the new
W-body The W-platform (also known as the W-body) was a General Motors automobile platform which underpinned both mid size and full-size front-wheel drive cars. Originally code named GM10, it began development in 1982 under Chairman Roger B. Smith and d ...
Regal, which began production in mid-1987. The final instalment was a long changeover of Line 1 for the Chevrolet Lumina, which went into production on January 8, 1989 as a 1990 model. The
Chevrolet Monte Carlo The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is a two-door coupe that was manufactured and marketed by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. Deriving its name from the city in Monaco, the Monte Carlo was marketed as the first personal luxury car of the Chevr ...
and Pontiac Grand Prix were discontinued in June and November 2007 respectively. The Buick LaCrosse was discontinued from Oshawa #2 in 2008 and moved to
Fairfax Assembly The Fairfax Assembly & Stamping is a General Motors automobile factory at 3201 Fairfax Trafficway, Kansas City, Kansas in the United States. As of 2022, the plant employs over 2,100 hourly and salaried employees. Employees are represented by U ...
for 2009. In the fourth quarter of that year, it began producing the new
Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro sh ...
. Both the
Buick Regal The Buick Regal is a line of mid-size cars marketed by Buick since 1973. For nearly its entire production, the Regal has served as the premium mid-size/intermediate offering of the Buick product range. Introduced as a submodel of the Buick Centu ...
and the Camaro Convertible launched on the Flex Line in the first quarter of 2011. The plant began the production of high performance 2012 Camaro ZL1 and the 2012 Buick Regal GS in 2012 and will build the 2013
Cadillac XTS The Cadillac XTS (short for ''X-Series Touring Sedan'') is a full-size, four-door, five-passenger, front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive luxury sedan from Cadillac based on an enlarged version of the Epsilon II platform shared with the Buick Lacros ...
in the first quarter of 2012. In August 2010, the plant began assembling the Chevrolet Equinox in partnership with another GM facility in
Ingersoll, Ontario Ingersoll is a town in Oxford County on the Thames River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The nearest cities are Woodstock to the east and London to the west. Ingersoll is situated north of and along Highway 401. Oxford County Road 119 (former ...
, known as
CAMI Automotive CAMI Assembly (formerly CAMI Automotive) is an assembly plant wholly owned by General Motors Canada. The plant occupies and has of floor space of which was added in 2016 as part of a $560 million investment. CAMI uses the CAMI Production Syste ...
. The metal bodies are made at CAMI, trucked two hours east to Oshawa, where they are inserted on the conveyor just before the paint shop. The bodies are painted and then go through the general assembly process at the Oshawa plant. The entire process was developed as a quick way to respond to high demand for the Equinox product. The CAMI facility does make Equinox and GMC Terrain from start to finish at their own plant, but they did not have the capacity to put more bodies through paint and general assembly. In mid 2018, it was announced that the previous generation of the
Chevrolet Silverado The Chevrolet Silverado is a range of trucks manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand. Introduced for the 1999 model year, the Silverado is the successor to the long running Chevrolet C/K model line. Taking its name from the ...
1500 and the GMC Sierra 1500 would be sold alongside their successors for the 2019 model year, as the
Chevrolet Silverado The Chevrolet Silverado is a range of trucks manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand. Introduced for the 1999 model year, the Silverado is the successor to the long running Chevrolet C/K model line. Taking its name from the ...
1500 LD and the GMC Sierra 1500 Limited. Final assembly of these trucks, which would only be sold in Double Cab, Standard Bed form, would occur at Oshawa Car Assembly. This marks the first time since 2009 that Oshawa Assembly (
Oshawa Truck Assembly Oshawa Truck Assembly was a General Motors Canada automotive factory in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It opened in its original location in downtown Oshawa in 1918 in order to build ambulances for World War I and Chevrolet vehicles before it merged w ...
), which also assembled the
Chevrolet Silverado The Chevrolet Silverado is a range of trucks manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand. Introduced for the 1999 model year, the Silverado is the successor to the long running Chevrolet C/K model line. Taking its name from the ...
1500 and the GMC Sierra 1500 in Extended Cab form, would assemble trucks. Later that summer, GM also began final assembly of Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD Double Cab models. On November 26, 2018, General Motors announced the closure of the Oshawa car assembly plant complex ending 111 years of auto manufacturing in Oshawa. The final vehicle, a white GMC Sierra pickup truck, rolled off the assembly line on December 18, 2019. On November 4, 2020, GM announced “Subject to ratification of the 2020 agreement with Unifor, General Motors plans to bring pickup production back to the Oshawa Assembly Plant. Construction will begin immediately at Oshawa Assembly and will include a new body shop and flexible assembly module, to support a fast response to strong customer demand for GM’s new family of pickup trucks.” Oshawa pickup production started on November 10, 2021 when the first Canadian-made Silverado was completed.


Awards

The plant won the J.D. Power Gold Award for initial quality in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006; as well a numerous other individual awards for the specific models it produces. In 2007, the plant won silver for initial quality, and a Gold Best in Segment award for the Pontiac Grand Prix, and Bronze Best in Segment for the Monte Carlo. In all, the plant has won 19 J.D. Power awards for quality since 1999. In recognition of that achievement, J.D. Power awarded the Founder's Award to the Car Plant in the summer of 2008; it is an award that has been presented only six times in the lengthy history of J.D. Power & Associates. Harbour Consulting rated Oshawa #1 (building the Impala and Monte Carlo) as the second most efficient in North America, the top-rated in the study was Oshawa #2 (building the LaCrosse and Grand Prix).
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Vehicles produced


Current models

As of September 2022: * Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (2022–present) * Chevrolet Silverado HD (2022–present)


Former models

Some of the former models produced at the plant. GM would move production to and from other factories, such as relocating production of their lower selling vehicles to smaller facilities across North America. The Oshawa facility frequently produced the vehicles in the highest demand in North America. * Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LD (2019) * GMC Sierra 1500 Limited (2019) * Chevrolet Impala Limited (2014-2016) *
Cadillac XTS The Cadillac XTS (short for ''X-Series Touring Sedan'') is a full-size, four-door, five-passenger, front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive luxury sedan from Cadillac based on an enlarged version of the Epsilon II platform shared with the Buick Lacros ...
(2013-2019) *
Chevrolet Equinox The Chevrolet Equinox is a series of crossover SUVs from Chevrolet introduced in 2004 for the 2005 model year. It replaces the North American Chevrolet Tracker and Chevrolet S-10 Blazer. The third-generation Equinox also replaced the first-ge ...
(2010–2017) *
Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro sh ...
(2010–2015) * Buick LaCrosse/Allure (2005–2009) * Pontiac Grand Prix (2004–2008) *
Buick Century Buick Century is the model name that was used by Buick for a line of upscale full-size cars from 1936 to 1942 and 1954 to 1958, as well as from 1973 to 2005 for mid-size cars. The first Buick Century debuted as the Series 60 then renamed in 1936 ...
(1997–2005) *
Chevrolet Monte Carlo The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is a two-door coupe that was manufactured and marketed by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. Deriving its name from the city in Monaco, the Monte Carlo was marketed as the first personal luxury car of the Chevr ...
(1995–2007) * Chevrolet Lumina (1990–2001) *
Buick Regal The Buick Regal is a line of mid-size cars marketed by Buick since 1973. For nearly its entire production, the Regal has served as the premium mid-size/intermediate offering of the Buick product range. Introduced as a submodel of the Buick Centu ...
(1988–2004, 2011-2017) *
Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera The Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera is a mid-size car that was manufactured and marketed from the 1982 through 1996 model years by the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors. It shared the front-wheel drive A platform with the Buick Century, Pontiac 6 ...
(1985–1988) *
Chevrolet Celebrity The Chevrolet Celebrity is a mid-size automobile that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors from the 1982 to 1990 model years. Replacing the Malibu, the Celebrity was initially slotted between the Citation and the Impala wit ...
(1982–1987) *
Pontiac 6000 The Pontiac 6000 is a Mid-size automobile manufactured and marketed by Pontiac for model years 1982-1991 in 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan and 5-door wagon body styles – as one of four rebadged variants, including the Buick Century, Chevrolet Celeb ...
(1982–1988) *
Chevrolet Bel Air The Chevrolet Bel Air is a full-size car produced by Chevrolet for the 1950–1975 model years. Initially, only the two-door hardtops in the Chevrolet model range were designated with the Bel Air name from 1950 to 1952. With the 1953 model year ...
(1976–1981) *
Chevrolet Caprice Classic The Chevrolet Caprice is a full-sized automobile produced by Chevrolet in North America for the 1965 to 1996 model years. Full-size Chevrolet sales peaked in 1965 with over a million sold. It was the most popular car in the U.S. in the 1960 ...
(1971–1990) *
Chevrolet Brookwood The Chevrolet Brookwood is a series of full-size station wagons produced by Chevrolet from 1958 to 1961, and again from 1969 to 1972. It debuted in 1958 as Chevrolet's mid-range model in its station wagon lineup, positioned between the less exp ...
/ Kingswood/ Kingswood Estate/ Townsman (1969–1972) *
Beaumont Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex ** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche ...
1966-1969 *
Chevrolet Impala The Chevrolet Impala () is a full-size car built by Chevrolet for model years 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 to 2020. The Impala was Chevrolet's popular flagship passenger car and was among the better-selling American-made automobiles in ...
(1965–1985, 2000–2019) * Acadian Beaumont (1964–1965) * Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS Convertible (1964–1965) *
Pontiac Parisienne The Pontiac Parisienne is a full-size rear-wheel drive vehicle that was sold by Pontiac on the GM B platform in Canada from 1958 to 1986 and in the United States from 1983 to 1986. Right-hand drive models were locally assembled in Australia, New ...
(1958–1986) * Pontiac Laurentian (1958–1981) *
Chevrolet Biscayne The Chevrolet Biscayne was a series of full-size cars produced by the American manufacturer Chevrolet between 1958 and 1975. Named after a show car displayed at the 1955 General Motors Motorama, the Biscayne was the least expensive model in the ...
(1958–1975) *
Pontiac Strato Chief The Pontiac Star Chief is an automobile model which was manufactured by Pontiac between 1954 and 1966. It was Pontiac's top trim package on the Pontiac Chieftain, with later generations built on longer wheelbases, and serving as the foundation pl ...
(1958–1969) *
Chevrolet 150 The Chevrolet One-Fifty (or 150) was the economy/fleet model of the Chevrolet car from 1953 until 1957. It took its name by shortening the production series number (1500) by one digit in order to capitalize on the numerical auto name trend of the ...
(1954–1957) * McLaughlin Chevrolets from 1916 * McLaughlin Buicks (1907–1918)


Gallery

Oshawa-20110610-00446 (46731681745).jpg File:Oshawa-20110610-00412 (32704876797).jpg Oshawa-20110610-00457 (32704848027).jpg Tour of GM's Oshawa Car Assembly plant, 2011-06-10, IMG 7426 (32704954377).jpg Tour of GM's Oshawa Car Assembly plant, 2011-06-10, IMG 7451 (33769962718).jpg Tour of GM's Oshawa Car Assembly plant, 2011-06-10, IMG 7472 (46731754145).jpg


See also

*
Oshawa Truck Assembly Oshawa Truck Assembly was a General Motors Canada automotive factory in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It opened in its original location in downtown Oshawa in 1918 in order to build ambulances for World War I and Chevrolet vehicles before it merged w ...
- originally located in the North Plant, later moved on the same site next to Oshawa Car Assembly and closed in 2009. * General Motors Canada * ''
Final Offer ''Final Offer'' is a Canadian film documenting the 1984 contract negotiations between the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) and GM. Ultimately, it provided a historical record of the birth of the Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) as Bob White, th ...
'' - documentary film about the 1984 UAW/CAW contract negotiations shows working life on the floor of the Oshawa Plant
Watch Online


References


External links

* {{General Motors factories Buildings and structures in Oshawa General Motors factories Motor vehicle assembly plants in Canada 1907 establishments in Ontario