General Motors is scaling back production of the Chevy Silverado at its Oshawa Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, cutting output from three shifts to two. The cut is expected to reduce annual pickup production at the facility by roughly 48,000 units. The decision comes amid new 25-percent tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on vehicles assembled outside the U.S., a significant increase from a previous rate of 2.5 percent.
Per a recent report from Automotive News, the GM Oshawa facility produced roughly 144,000 units of the Chevy Silverado during the 2024 calendar year, including both heavy-duty (HD) and light-duty 1500 variants. The latest production adjustment will directly impact approximately 700 unionized workers at the Oshawa plant and could affect another 1,500 jobs throughout the Canadian supply chain. Unionized workers are represented by Unifor.
Kristian Aquilina, president of GM Canada, stated the company must adapt to “the evolving trade environment.” Meanwhile, Unifor National President Lana Payne criticized the move as “premature and disrespectful,” especially as newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney prepares for a potential renegotiation of trade terms with President Trump in the coming week.
The production cut at Oshawa follows another pause in GM Canada’s operations at the CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, with General Motors halting production of its BrightDrop electric delivery vans in response to lower-than-expected demand.
Meanwhile, GM is also boosting truck output in the U.S., ramping up production of the light-duty Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra at the Fort Wayne Assembly Plant in Indiana. According to GM CEO Mary Barra, GM will build an additional 50,000 trucks annually at the Fort Wayne facility. The production increase will require overtime shifts and is expected to lead to the hiring of several hundred temporary workers.
GM estimates that the new tariffs are likely to cost the company between $4 billion and $5 billion. Despite the expected increase in operational costs, GM CEO Barra says the automaker is “assuming a pricing environment that’s similar to what it is today.”
Comments
USA! USA! USA! Trump was right about everything. Adding jobs in US and cutting jobs in other countries. American first!
Except that it will cost more in the end as the UAW is already overpaid. Not to mention it’s one of GM’s lower quality plants.
The Oshawa plant has the most awards of any GM plant for quality and consistency…not sure where you go that info from!
I like that red HD in the photo
I got into a discussion with a guy who parked next to my ZR2. He had a HD3500 and complained “it’s too big” and said he’s really thinking about getting a Colorado. He said he never tows anything, doesn’t carry anything, just got it. I said I love the size of my Colorado and I think I convinced him on it..
Mary Barra…
….’assuming a pricing environment that is similar to today’s…. is Weasel Clause for… just expect the
Silverado & Sierra models will continue to be overpriced, problematic trucks.