GM Canada recently donated a lot of twelve automatic transmissions for the Chevy Equinox crossover to the automotive tech department at Niagara College, where they’ll be used by students and professors for hands-on learning exercises.
Gary Athoe, plant director at the GM St. Catharines Propulsion plant, delivered the GM six-speed automatic transmissions to the college earlier this month, reports southern Ontario news outlet InSauga.com. Students will disassemble, diagnose and repair the Chevy Equinox transmissions during hands-on lessons, explained program coordinator Wayne Toth, giving them the skills to properly service a modern vehicle transmission when they enter the workforce.
“Automotive technology is changing at such a rapid pace, and we are grateful to be able to give our students access to the latest innovations in vehicles today to support their learning,” Toth told InSauga.com. “This donation will continue to put our program at the forefront of all automotive programs.”
This isn’t the first time GM has supported the Motive Power Technician program at Niagara College. The automaker donated more than 50 engines to the college back in 2014 and most recently donated a Chevy Suburban full-size SUV and a Chevy Silverado full-size pickup to the school. GM Canada also supports students at the school through its St. Catharines Propulsion Plant Bursary program, which provides financial assistance to students in the Environmental Management and Assessment program there.
“We have a longstanding relationship with Niagara College. Our mutual interests in education and training are unparalleled,” Athoe told the news outlet. “Many of our new team members are graduates of Niagara College and today’s donation is just one more step in our ongoing support of the College’s hands-on experiences.”
The GM St. Catharines Propulsion plant produces a variety of transmissions and internal combustion engines, including the GF6 six-speed automatic transmission, as well as the naturally aspirated 5.3L L84 V8 gasoline engine and naturally aspirated 6.2L L87 V8 gasoline engine. It will begin production of the Tremec eight-speed dual-clutch transmission for the C8 Corvette this quarter.
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Comment
Why don’t they donate the troublesome 8 speed? Perhaps they could re- engineer it and eliminate all of its problems.
Then to show good faith offer the re-engineered version to all of the customers who have problems with it a free replacement.
Hey a guy can dream can’t he?