A Camaro on the line in Oshawa plant
GM Canada press release
Oshawa, Ontario (August 4, 2011) — General Motors will invest $117 million to prepare the Oshawa Assembly Plant to build the all-new Cadillac XTS, creating or retaining 400 jobs on the Flex Line.
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Oshawa, Ontario (Monday, January 31, 2011) – The Oshawa Assembly Plant today celebrated the start of regular production of the hotly-anticipated 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible in a ceremony with employees and invited guests.
“This is an exciting new chapter in the ongoing revival of the tremendously popular Chevrolet Camaro,” said Kevin Williams, president and managing director of GM of Canada. “The launch of the new convertible opens Camaro design and performance to a new set of enthusiastic customers, while further demonstrating the flexible capabilities of the award-winning Oshawa Assembly Plant.”
The Chevrolet Camaro Convertible is the second of three new vehicles being launched in Oshawa since last September, and two new shifts have been added to support this additional production.
“The entire team here at Oshawa Assembly is dedicated to bringing this stunning vehicle to market with outstanding quality,” stated Dan Hermer, plant manager at the Oshawa Assembly Plant.
“New product mandates like the Camaro Convertible are testaments to the calibre of the workforce in Oshawa,” added Chris Buckley, president of the Canadian Auto Workers Local 222.
Employees were joined by Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, to celebrate the milestone. Hendrick, a Camaro enthusiast who purchased the first 2010 Camaro Coupe that rolled off the line, has now also purchased the first Camaro Convertible available for public sale. In both cases, Rick Hendrick acquired the purchase rights through the Barrett-Jackson auction, with all proceeds benefitting local charities.
“I grew up loving the Chevrolet brand, and I’ve never raced anything else,” Hendrick said. “As a Chevy enthusiast, it’s been exciting to see the Camaro return as such a world-class, high-performance car. The folks in Oshawa make some of the best products on the road, so the opportunity to meet them and thank them for what they do is a real privilege.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr., a driver for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, was also present at the celebration and added, “Chevrolet has been a great partner on and off the track, and I’m very happy to be here on this special day. While I still enjoy my 1972 Camaro, I can’t wait to take home one of these awesome new convertibles.”
The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, with an MSRP starting at $33,995, will be on sale at local Chevrolet dealerships across Canada starting in February.
GM Canada press release
Oshawa, Ontario (August 4, 2010) — Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac continued to build momentum in July, with retail sales increasing 69 percent, driving sales growth to more than 37 percent calendar year-to-date.
July marks the eighth straight month in which retail sales for GM’s brands increased year-over-year, demonstrating the continued strengthening of each brand in the marketplace.
“The continued strong consumer demand for our products reflects our commitment to design, build, and sell the world’s best vehicles,” said Marc Comeau, GM of Canada’s vice-president of sales, service and marketing. “The success of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac each month further indicates our four brand strategy is working, helping build profitable sales in line with our targets.”
Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac delivered retail sales increases across the entire award-winning line-up, with launch vehicles continuing to hit the mark with consumers: Chevrolet sales increased 50 percent, Buick sales increased 11 percent, GMC sales increased 170 percent, and Cadillac sales increased 86 percent.
Building on this strong momentum, new offerings launching this summer and fall include the Buick Regal sport sedan, the Cadillac CTS Coupe, the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra heavy duty pickups, and the much-anticipated fuel-sipping Chevrolet Cruze compact car. Each of these entries will set new benchmarks in their segments, bolstering the stable of new vehicles that are winning with consumers.
With employee pricing available continuing in August on most 2010 model year offerings and some 2011 models, now is a great time to visit a Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac showroom to check out GM’s leading range of award-winning, high-quality, fuel-efficient vehicles.
July 2010 Retail Sales Highlights
Chevrolet cars continue to show strong growth, up 37 percent. The fuel-efficient Chevrolet Cobalt posted its sixth consecutive monthly increase, up 132 percent bringing the CYTD increase to 71 percent.
The Oshawa-built Chevrolet Camaro, recently announced as winner of the Edmunds.com Launch Breakthrough Award, and winner of the AutoPacific Ideal Vehicle and Customer Satisfaction Award (sport segment), delivered a 49 percent increase for July.
Strong sales growth for compact, midsize and luxury crossovers continues: Combined Chevrolet Equinox/GMC Terrain sales were up more than 78 percent, with added capacity coming online in CAMI and Oshawa to meet demand; combined Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave sales were up 41 percent – their ninth consecutive monthly increase; Cadillac SRX was up more than 900 percent – its seventh consecutive monthly increase.
GM pick-up truck sales continued to grow in July as the economy strengthens: Combined Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra sales increased 170 percent, their best July since 2005.
The Buick LaCrosse – a Consumers Digest Best Buy for 2010, an IIHS 2010 Top Safety Pick, and the winner of MotorWeek’s Driver’s Choice Award for ‘Best Family Sedan” – continues to post positive results and achieved its highest sales month in July.
Total GM fleet and retail sales were up 21 percent.
GM Canada press release
Customers Will Receive $105 Voluntary Payment
Oshawa, Ontario (June 8, 2010) – General Motors of Canada is recalling 98,794 cars, trucks and crossovers from the 2007-2009 model years to disable a heated washer fluid system module that could pose a fire risk. Since the feature will be disabled, GM will make a voluntary payment of $105 to the owner or lessee of each vehicle for the loss of the feature.
GM Canada is conducting this recall to ensure customers have complete peace of mind and can count on the safety and quality of their GM vehicle. There are no known injuries or crashes related to the condition and there have been no reported incidents in Canada.
Dealership service personnel will remove the heated washer fluid module and reroute washer fluid hoses. Customers will begin receiving recall letters this month, but they can contact their dealer at any time to make an appointment to have the heated washer system removed.
The heated washer module was a unique technology available from only one supplier, and that supplier has stopped manufacturing, which left no opportunity to collaborate on an improved design.
Models included in the recall are the 2006-2009 model year Buick Lucerne; Cadillac DTS; Hummer H2; 2008-2009 model year Buick Enclave; Cadillac CTS; 2007-2009 model year Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe; GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL; Saturn Outlook; and 2009 model year Chevrolet Traverse.
Most of the vehicles, 1,365,070, are in the United States; there are 98,794 affected vehicles in Canada; 26,228 in Mexico and 38,093 exports.
The heated washer fluid system was recalled in August 2008 because a short circuit on the printed circuit board could overheat the control-circuit ground wire. Dealers at the time installed an in-line fuse in the heated washer module wiring.
GM continued to monitor the performance of the heated washer fluid module in the field. In June 2009, a new and second failure mode was identified by GM with the first confirmed report consisting of smoke only. Since then, GM has been made aware of five fires in the US.
General Motors of Canada press release
Oshawa, Ontario (June 1, 2010) — General Motors of Canada continues to build momentum, today posting strong retail sales increases for its four core brands: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. Sales increased 15.4 percent for the month, and are up over 22 percent for the year.
“Our sales momentum in Canada demonstrates that we are connecting with customers, with retail sales showing strong growth for the sixth consecutive month,” said Marc Comeau, GM of Canada’s vice-president of sales, service and marketing. “Our business plan is working as we continue to profitably grow sales of our four core brands.”
Chevrolet retail sales increased almost 10 percent in May, with Chevrolet car sales leading that growth, up 45 percent. The Chevrolet Malibu saw strong May results, increasing sales over 135 percent, along with year-over-year sales increases for the Chevrolet Cobalt, Chevrolet Impala, and Chevrolet Camaro.
Buick retail sales rose 44 percent in May, led by the Buick LaCrosse, which were up 92 percent. Buick sales will be further bolstered when the all-new Buick Regal hits Canadian showrooms later this month.
Cadillac retail sales were up 35 percent, fuelled by strong growth from the award-winning Cadillac SRX. A Consumer’s Digest Best Buy for 2010, the Cadillac SRX has posted consistent sales growth for the past 5 months.
GMC also saw its retail sales rise, almost 23 percent, led by its fuel-efficient lineup of small trucks and cross-over vehicles, including the GMC Canyon, the GMC Acadia, and the Ingersoll-built GMC Terrain.
Beginning in May, GM launched zero percent financing up to 60 months, in addition to aggressive cash rebates (up to $5,000) on several vehicle lines. May also marked the beginning of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra no charge accessory offer (up to $1,500), which also includes outstanding cash and finance deals. With a leading range of award-winning, high quality, fuel-efficient vehicles, together with these competitive bonus offers, now is a great time to visit a Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac showroom.
May 2010 Retail Sales Highlights
Chevrolet: Chevrolet Malibu sales increased 135 percent; Chevrolet Cobalt continued with its fourth consecutive monthly sales increase, jumping 33.5 percent; Oshawa-built Chevrolet Camaro posted another strong sales month, up 377 percent, outselling Mustang for eight consecutive months (September 2009 through April 2010); Oshawa-built Chevrolet Impala sales up 64 percent; Chevrolet Traverse sales were up 24 percent for the month.
Buick: Buick LaCrosse sales rose 92 percent; Buick Enclave sales rose 14 percent in May.
Cadillac: Cadillac SRX sales were up 507 percent, posting sales increases for the last 5 consecutive months and achieving its highest volume month since its launch last fall; Cadillac DTS posted a 127 percent gain.
GMC: GMC Canyon sales were up 189 percent for the month; GMC Acadia sales increased 2.6 percent for the month.
Combined Retail sales for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac have increased year-over-year for six consecutive months.
Total GM fleet and retail sales, including sales of core brand vehicles and wind down brands, were down 18.0 percent for the month of May.
General Motors of Canada press release
St. Catharines, Ontario (June 1, 2010) – With employees, union officials and local, provincial and federal dignitaries on hand, General Motors of Canada president and managing director, Kevin Williams, today announced a new $245 million investment for GM Canada’s St. Catharines powertrain facility, which will be expanded to produce fuel-efficient six-speed transmissions beginning in early 2012. The investment builds on the good news for the St. Catharines facility, which also recently announced a $235 million investment to support next generation engine production beginning in 2013. Together, these production investments will secure some 800 jobs at the plant.
“The assistance we provided last year to GM Canada has enabled its transformation into a company that is poised for growth,” said the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry. “We are encouraged by this further evidence that GM Canada is on the road to recovery, and its commitment to doing business in Canada.”
“Last year, we stood behind GM Canada with unprecedented support to help the company restructure and today’s announcement continues the positive results following that decision,” said Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and MPP for St.Catharines, the Honourable Jim Bradley. “Some 800 families in the St. Catharines area now have a brighter future thanks to GM’s investment plans and, combined with the spin-off jobs created, this will be a tremendous boost for our economy.”
“Thanks to the support we received, we’ve transformed our business and have a strong foundation for success going forward,” said Kevin Williams, president and managing director of GM Canada. “Strong customer demand for our new vehicles is driving improved financial results and the rapid capacity expansion under way. Retail sales of our Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles are outpacing industry growth, up over 22 percent so far this year – strong confirmation that our products and dealers are connecting with customers in a very positive way.”
The six-speed transmission to be built in St. Catharines will offer customers a wide range of benefits including improved fuel efficiency and vehicle performance. The plant will supply transmissions to both the CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll and the Oshawa Assembly Plant for the Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain and Buick Regal. The new transmission is based on the proven design of GM’s current Hydra-matic 6T40/45 transmission, which has established a strong reputation for its refinement, durability and fuel efficiency, for over a million customers around the world.
General Motors of Canada (GMCL) is headquartered in Oshawa, Ontario and employs 9,000 people nationwide. GM of Canada manufactures vehicles and powertrains, and markets the full range of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles and related services through the largest automotive dealer network in the country.
General Motors of Canada press release
Toronto, ON, May 12, 2010 – Today, ten Canadian high performance coaches and their Olympic hopeful athletes were each awarded a $10,000 grant for coach development through Chevrolet’s Making Dreams Possible Program. In addition, 51 community clubs from across Canada each received a grant of $2,000 for coach training and development activities.
Coach Athlete Sport
Allison McNeill Chelsea Aubry Basketball
Randy Bennett Ryan Cochrane Swimming
Claude St. Jean Audrey Lacroix Swimming
Victor Zilberman Martine Dugrenier Wrestling
Anthony McCleary Patricia Lopes-Schliep Athletics
Eric Van Den Eynde Tara Whitten Cycling
Steve Tseng Sarah Hunter Wheelchair tennis
Louis Bouchard Alex Harvey Cross country skiing
Kelly Forbes Mellisa Hollongsworth Skeleton
Brianne Law Viviane Forest Paralympics
Today’s announcement is the fourth year of Chevrolet’s commitment to provide a competitive edge for Canadian athletes through coaching excellence. Chevrolet’s direct support of coach education and development through this program has impacted more than 27,000 coaches and approximately 250,000 athletes in 183 communities across the country.
“Chevrolet has a long history of supporting Canadian athletes and is proud to help our Olympic hopefuls realize their dreams by supporting their coaches as they work together to be their best in London at the 2012 Summer Games,” said Tom Laurie, Chevrolet of Canada’s Olympic Partnership Manager. “We were thrilled to watch our Canadian athletes compete in Vancouver, especially knowing that the Chevrolet Making Dreams Possible program played a role in helping competitors like Jon Montgomery, Ashleigh McIvor, Joannie Rochette, and others achieve their dreams.”
John Bales, Chief Executive Officer of the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) commented “Thanks to the Chevrolet Making Dreams Possible Program, more Canadian coaches of athletes at all performance levels have access to valuable training through coach education programs such as the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). It is important that coaches are well trained to ensure that children have positive first experiences to encourage a lifetime love of sports.”
“This grant from Chevrolet allows me to focus on what matters leading up to the London 2012 Olympic Games and alleviates some of the traditional financial concerns associated with the intensive coaching that will be required,” says Victor Zilberman, coach of wrestler Martine Dugrenier.
“Community Club and school coaches play a critical role in setting the foundation to inspire and grow the next generation of Canadian athletes,” said Jennifer Scott, Head Coach, Burlington Synchronized Swimming Club, one of the 51 Community Club grant recipients. “Well-trained coaches ensure that children enjoy participating in sports and contribute to the development of an active, healthy lifestyle.”
About Chevrolet’s Making Dreams Possible Program
Making Dreams Possible is a program developed by Chevrolet in partnership with CAC, the governing body of Canada’s coaching education program and is designed to support coaches of Olympic and Paralympic Sports at the high performance and community club levels.
Chevrolet’s Making Dreams Possible program will provide a minimum of 100 grants of $2,000 each annually for coach development in local communities, and ten grants of $10,000 each annually to high performance athletes and their coaches. These grants will be used to fund special projects that develop the skills and abilities of high performance and community level coaches. Application forms can be found on coach.ca
About the Coaching Association of Canada
The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) is a not-for-profit amateur sport organization with the mandate to improve the effectiveness of coaching across all sports and at all levels of the sport system. With a mission of enhancing the experiences of all Canadian athletes through quality coaching, the CAC and its partners deliver a leading edge coaching system that has a goal of reaching 100,000 NCCP-trained coaches who will impact 1,000,000 athletes each year by 2010. Visit www.coach.ca for more information about coach education and training.
General Motors press release
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS – General Motors Company Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre today announced that GM has made its final payment of $5.8 billion to the U.S. Treasury and Export Development Canada, paying back its government loans in full, ahead of schedule.
The announcement came at a ceremony here to announce investment of $257 million at GM’s Fairfax, Kansas, and Detroit Hamtramck assembly centers. The investment will prepare Fairfax to build the next generation of Chevrolet’s award-winning Malibu, and make Detroit Hamtramck a second source for Malibu, ensuring that Chevrolet can meet market demand for this popular mid-size sedan.
“GM is able to repay the taxpayers in full, with interest, ahead of schedule, because more customers are buying vehicles like the Chevrolet Malibu and Buick LaCrosse we build here in Fairfax,” said Whitacre. “We are now building some of the best cars, trucks, and crossovers we have ever built, and customers are taking note. Our dealers are increasing their sales, we are investing in our plants, and we are restoring and creating jobs.”
The U.S., Canadian, and Ontario governments, as part of the launch of the new GM, provided loans of $8.4 billion and took equity stakes in the new company. Today’s payment of $5.8 billion ($4.7 billion to the U.S. Treasury and $C1.1 billion to Export Development Canada) completes the payback of these loans.
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General Motors of Canada press release
Oshawa, Ontario (March 2, 2010) General Motors of Canada today posted strong retail sales performance for its four core brands – Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac – which increased 97.9 percent in February, reflecting strong customer acceptance for the company’s newest vehicles.
“Driven by solid sales growth among our fresh line-up of fuel-efficient cars, cross-overs and trucks, we are very pleased with this continued strong sales performance – the third consecutive month, we’ve grown retail sales for our core brands”, said Marc Comeau, GM of Canada’s vice-president of sales, service and marketing.
Comeau added, “The Canadian-built Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain compact cross-overs continue to resonate with our customers, up a combined 250 percent, as did our award-winning family of fuel-efficient mid-size cross-overs – the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave which were up a combined 113.6 percent. And the Chevrolet Malibu, which was recently named a Consumer’s Digest Best Buy, continues to be a great success story in the mid-size car segment with sales up 43 percent in February.
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GM Canada press release
GM Recalls Compact Cars to Fix Power Steering Assist
Safety Recall Covers 1.3 Million Chevrolet and Pontiac Models
·2005 – 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt
·2007 – 2010 Pontiac G5
·2005 – 2006 Pontiac Pursuit (Canada)
·2005 – 2006 Pontiac G4 (Mexico)
DETROIT — General Motors will conduct a safety recall of 1.3 million compact cars to replace a motor in the power steering system. Vehicles affected are the 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt; 2007-2010 Pontiac G5; 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuit sold in Canada, and the 2005-2006 Pontiac G4 sold in Mexico.
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