General Motors Canada has a new leader in Travis Hester. He replaced Steve Carlisle this past April after GM ousted Johan de Nysschen from the top role at Cadillac and installed Carlisle in his place.
Hester, who previously worked in engineering and program management, laid out GM Canada’s latest strategic vision on Wednesday. And it’s more of the same: building on current work and expanding GM Canada’s sales momentum.
The managing director said the vehicles in GM’s pipeline will absolutely build on the Canadian sales momentum. Specifically, Hester said, “One of my top priorities will be to work with Canada’s network of dealers to help them serve our customers and expand market leadership for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac across Canada.”
Secondly, he moved to manufacturing. Hester said he will support GM Canada’s manufacturing base and applauded workers in in Oshawa, Ingersoll and St. Catharines. Oshawa, particularly, got a shoutout for its quick transformation in the past few months. The plant now builds cars and pickup trucks on the same line.
“To watch new pickups and sedans rolling off the same final assembly line is an impressive achievement for any manufacturer in any country in the world,” Hester commented.
Finally, Hester stated he wants to bolster and help complete GM Canada’s vision for innovation growth. GM Canada has invested heavily in research and development, and the unit continues to partner with startup companies and local universities.
“Our partnerships with universities and Canadian start-up companies are enabling us to do something unique and powerful in the product development world. GM has established its position as Canada’s leader for core automotive engineering and testing work. At the same time, we are developing software for self-driving cars and building partnerships that will drive toward a future of electric, self-driving cars and shared mobility,” he added.
Comments
Moving all operations to the US would be a good start.
Surely, Hester can be hired to be a car jockey.
Screw Canada! Long live Trump!
It’s that attitude that will leave America in ashes one day.
Trump has brought America to the edge of the cliff. Never thought I’d hear “screw Canada” or witness fellow Americans thinking GM Canada jobs are some sort of gift or charity.
Soon our only trading partners will be N Korea and Russia.
“Moving all operations to the US would be a good start.”
Moving ALL operations? Even out of places (like Canada, South Korea, China, and Mexico) where it took GM decades to get a foothold? Doesn’t sound like a good move to become insular rather than leverage GM’s global talent and management base.
But hey, why stop there? Why not cancel and withdraw from all operational and technical alliances with foreign automakers? Screw sharing R&D costs and forget those damn licencing agreements!
But lets go even further! GM should just build every single component themselves; all in house! Frigg, GM doesn’t even need Magna, Getrag, or Denso if GM could do every single bit of engineering themselves!
I’m sure none of those ideas would complicate GM’s internal operations, or make every GM vehicle grossly expensive, and I’m sure all those new in-house engineers GM would hire could have nice fat salary’s each year….
Besides, it’s more important that GM be seen as not just an a American automaker, but that GM is seen as an America-ONLY automaker.
Right?
He says he has a vision does that vision include Tariff man wanting to shut down Canada..If so i hope he moves everything to Mexico and not to USA..I won’t buy a car made in USA. but i would buy any car made in Mexico or i would even buy Hyundai . before USA made..as long as Tariff man is there..
Trump the con man is revered ? Went bankrupt 6 times and as a result to this day doesn’t pay any income tax , even though earning millions each year ? Conned a lot of students who gave everything and more to enroll in his University , penalized with a 25 million dollar fine as a result , that D. Trump ?? He champions protecting USA workers while he brings over a lot of Asian workers for his hotels and golf courses , that D. Trump ? See something unreal , watch uTube and see people with assault rifles slung on their backs shopping in malls and stores or walking down the street . Or police pulling people from their cars and beating men and women without any probable cause !! Do you love it , well guess what , you are going to get more of it , this is how a democracy dies , not by a revolution but by accepting an alternate path that unfortunately shuts down permanently the possibility of going back again , you could get D. Trump for life ! Disclaimer ,,,,this is my opinion only , don’t want a visit in the nite from gun drawn Police who shoot first then ask their important questions !