While GM’s Oshawa, Ontario assembly plant is currently known to enthusiasts as the birthplace of today’s Chevrolet Camaro, it also was — until recently — tasked with manufacturing the outgoing Chevy Impala, and current Equinox. To recap, the plant has two lines: the flex line, which makes the Camaro, Camaro Convertible and the Buick Regal, and the consolidated line — which builds overflow Chevy Equinoxes (from Ingersoll) and the outgoing Chevy Impala.
Canadian news outlets are reporting that GM is planning to shutter the consolidated line, but is required to give at least 12 months’ notice of closing a line, so if the official announcement comes today, expect the line to drop by summer 2013.
Interestingly enough, GM is expected to reopen its Spring Hill Assembly operations during the second half of this year by making the Chevrolet Equinox, which is a $61 million investment up front plus 594 hourly American jobs and 91 salaried jobs. Later on, Spring Hill will build “two midsized vehicles,” which will cost an additional $183 million in tooling while adding another 1,196 new American jobs.
Speculation is that up to 2,000 Canadian jobs will be lost, but we’re not jumping on that bandwagon, mostly because we know that Oshawa’s flex line is getting the new Impala next year (as is Detroit-Hamtramck). At Oshawa ,however, the Impala will be built alongside the recently-added Cadillac XTS.
Comments
The quickly fading Regal is not helping the cause, fewer than 9000 have been assembled there this year.
Its Equinox for sure but that can’t be 2000 jobs at Oshawa, may be some at Ingersoll since the Bodyshop there makes Equinox body’s that are shipped to Oshawa for assembly.
Sounds like a business decision.