First pickup rolls off assembly line at General Motors’ recently reopened Oshawa plant

General Motors Canada has announced the reopening of its Oshawa Assembly plant. The first Chevrolet Silverado pickup has rolled off the line at the plant. The return of truck production to the Oshawa plant brings with it 1,800 new jobs to support two shifts of production. It also supports thousands of additional jobs in the supplier base in Canada, noted the company in a statement. This is a significant economic boost, especially to the automotive sector in the country.

Pickups are GM’s largest and most important market segment across North America. The Oshawa plant will help GM meet the strong demand for its pickup trucks. The company has retooled the Oshawa assembly plant to make it highly flexible and advanced. Trucks from this plant will be shipped to dealers from December onwards.

“The reopening of Oshawa Assembly is a historic accomplishment for GM Canada and our many community partners who worked together to bring us to this very happy day,” said Scott Bell, GM Canada president and managing director. “The rapid retooling, hiring and training needed to reach today’s start of production was an extraordinary accomplishment.”

GM Canada will raffle one of its first vehicles to its dealers to benefit the Durham Children’s Aid Foundation (DCAF). This is to continue the legacy of Sharon Clark, a former employee of the Oshawa facility who lost her battle with cancer in 2020.