General Motors files Canadian restructuring plan, will build hybrid car

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February 21, 2009 by admin

General Motors of Canada Ltd has followed its corporate parent in Detroit in filing a viability plan with the Canadian government. It contains the usual array of ideas about working with the Canadian Auto Workers union and cutting executive and salaried pay to cut costs. The plan also includes some upcoming product details. The Oshawa Ontario car assembly plant currently has two assembly lines. The so-called consolidated line will continue building the Impala out through 2013. The other line was recently re-tooled for flexible production to build the new Camaro, with Job 1 coming in March. Two years from now, the line is scheduled to add the convertible version.

Later in 2011, that same flex line is scheduled to add a new short wheelbase mid-sized sedan followed by a long wheelbase model at the beginning of 2013. There has been no indication of which brand will get this car or what the model designation will be. A few months after launch a hybrid variant of that car will be launched, the first hybrid car produced in Canada. The short wheelbase mid-size model is likely to be the new Buick Regal, a re-grilled and badged version of the Opel Insignia that was recently unveiled in China. Since Buick has been announced as one of the core brands that GM will focus on in North America, the Regal is a likely choice. As for the hybrid, this will probably be an application of GM’s next generation mild hybrid that is expected to go into production in 2010. The press release is after the jump and the full plan can be found here.

Gallery: Opel Insignia ecoFlex