Canada produced 1.3 million light-duty vehicles in 2024. With things going the way they are, that number could be quite a bit lower in the coming years.

About 1.1 million of those vehicles were exported to the United States.

We don’t need to bring up recent U.S. government policies on vehicle imports, but we will bring up recently announced vehicle production changes in Canada, which are having a direct impact on production levels and jobs here. The industry supports about 125,000 direct jobs, the Canadian government said.

GM’s Ingersoll decision

On Oct. 21, General Motors announced it has ended production of the BrightDrop electric delivery van that was produced at CAMI Assembly in Ingersoll, Ont. This vehicle is being discontinued, so production is not moving elsewhere.

The automaker said the decision was due to low sales and the recent cancellation of the U.S. government’s EV incentives.

Unifor, the union representing the workers there, called the decision the latest casualty of U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies.

Stellantis’ Brampton decision

On Oct. 14, Stellantis announced it would produce the next-gen Jeep Compass in the U.S. instead of Brampton, Ont., where the company originally intended to build the vehicle.

The plant was being retooled for Jeep Compass production, but retooling was paused earlier this year. Stellantis has said it is committed to the Brampton assembly plant but has not communicated future plans for the facility.

GM’s Oshawa decision

GM announced in May it would cut the third shift at its Oshawa assembly plant sometime near the end of 2025. On Sept. 9, the company extended the third shift until Jan. 30, 2026.

After that date, the plant that builds Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks is expected to operate on two shifts.

Tariff relief reductions

Following the above announcements, the Government of Canada announced it was reducing tariff relief remission quotas for GM and Stellantis.

Automakers who produce vehicles in Canada get tariff relief on a certain number of U.S.-made vehicles they import into Canada. The remission quota stipulates how many such vehicles can be imported from the U.S. into Canada tariff-free.

The Canadian government reduced GM’s annual remission quota by 24.2 per cent and Stellantis’ by 50 per cent.

Stellantis’ Windsor decision

On Sept. 9, Stellantis announced it would restore the third shift at its Windsor assembly plant as it needs to ramp up production of its newly launched gasoline-powered Dodge Charger cars. The plant currently operates on two shifts.

This production increase is anticipated to start in early 2026.

Honda’s EV project

This news is a bit older, but worth noting as well.

Back in May, Honda announced it was pausing its Ontario electric vehicle production plans for a period of about two years due to a slowdown in the EV market.

The $15-billion plan would include four production facilities in several Ontario communities to support the development of EVs for the North American market.

On a more positive note, on Oct. 15 Honda announced it had produced its 11-millionth vehicle at its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant. At the same time, the company said it is “committed to Canada and its robust manufacturing ecosystem.”

Toyota and Ford

While Toyota and Ford haven’t announced any production shifts recently, it’s worth noting both those companies in this roundup.

Ford is currently retooling its Oakville assembly plant to begin production of Super Duty pickup trucks there by 2026. Super Duty pickups include models such as the Ford F-250 and above. As of this writing, this retooling work is continuing.

Toyota, which is the biggest auto manufacturer in Canada, producing about 500,000 vehicles here annually, has maintained its commitment all year to its assembly plants in Woodstock and Cambridge.

---