Driving Innovation and Profitability

Canada’s auto industry is Canada’s largest manufacturing sector, with over 1,300 companies, 153,000 workers and annual revenues of $96.7 billion. Canada hosts six global automakers—Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Suzuki and Toyota—and truck and bus manufacturers such as Hino, MCI, Navistar and PACCAR.

Did you know?

• The Economist Intelligence Unit rates Canada’s business environment as the best in the world among auto-producing nations.
• Canadian assembly plants enjoy a 6.4% cost advantage over the U.S. and stronger labour productivity scores than American or Mexican facilities.
• Canadian plants have won one-third of all J.D. Power plant quality awards for North America, double Canada’s share of continental production.
• Companies operating in Canada committed some $524 million to automotive research and development in 2007. 
• In five of the last seven years, Toyota and General Motors (GM) plants in Canada were rated the best in the western hemisphere (JD Power quality survey). 
• Canada is home to the 2nd (Oshawa, GM), 3rd (Oshawa, GM), 5th (CAMI, GM-Suzuki JV) and 10th (Brampton, Chrysler) most productive light vehicle assembly plants in North America. 
• The Canadian automotive industry produces light and heavy duty vehicles and a wide range of parts, components and systems used in them. The industry also boasts a well-developed vehicle dealer network and world-class aftermarket distribution and services.
• A great place for product development and testing, Canada offers generous tax incentives for automotive R&D, and boasts vibrant R&D clusters that offer excellent opportunities for research collaborations between industry, universities, colleges and public research centres. 
• AUTO21 is Canada’s national network of centres of excellence for automotive R&D. It comprises some 120 industry, government and institutional partners supporting over 230 top researchers at more than 35 academic institutions, government research facilities and private sector research labs across Canada.  See www.auto21.ca
• The Automotive Innovation Fund is a $250 million program that supports strategic, large-scale R&D projects in the automotive sector to develop innovative, greener and more fuel-efficient vehicles.  See www.ic.gc.ca 
• The Automotive Research and Development Centre is a $500 million R&D program focused on alternative fuel, mechanical engineering design, engine/transmission design, advanced materials, emissions, bio-mechanics and vehicle safety among others. See www.chryslertestservices.com
• The Automotive R&D Partnership Initiative is a $145 million program designed to foster an innovative and competitive auto industry through industry-driven research. See www.science.gc.ca
• The Partnership for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education is a $240-million program that focuses R&D in computer-aided design, manufacturing, engineering software, hardware and training. See www.pacepartners.org

Home Grown Leaders

• Electrovaya
  
• Linamar Corporation
  
• Magna International Inc.
  
• Martinrea International Inc.
  
• Meridian Technologies
  
• Systematix
  
• Zenn Motor Company

Major Investors in Canada

• CAMI Automotive Inc. (GM-Suzuki)
  
• Chrysler Canada Inc.
  
• Continental AG (Siemens VDO)
  
• Denso Corporation
  
• Ford Motor Company of Canada
  
• General Motors of Canada
  
• Honda Canada Inc.
  
• Johnson Controls Inc.
  
• PACCAR of Canada Ltd.
  
• Toyota Canada Inc.

Look Who Chooses Canada

• In 2009, GM invested $100 million to increase capacity at its Ingersoll, Ontario plant.
• In 2009, Toyota officially opened its new $1.1 billion vehicle assembly plant in Woodstock, Ontario. 
• In 2008, Honda opened a new $154 million engine manufacturing plant in Alliston, Ontario.
• In 2008, Ford announced a $730 million investment to establish an advanced powertrain R&D centre and to upgrade its engine plant in Windsor, Ontario.