GM to be first to build hybrids in Canada, followed by Ford
General Motors has announced that they will be the first automaker to produce hybrid vehicles north of the border in Canada. The Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups equipped with GM's two-mode hybrid system will be assembled at the Oshawa truck plant beginning in the fall of 2008, several months after the Tahoe and Yukon hybrids. The SUVs will be assembled at an unknown plant in the US. Also late in 2008 or early 2009, GM will start building the next generation Saturn VUE and Chevrolet Equinox with the two mode hybrid, likely at the current Equinox plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. Beginning in 2010, Ford will also be building hybrid versions of the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX which are assembled at the Oakville assembly plant west of Toronto.
[Source: Automotive News - Subscription required]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Lithous 9:53AM (2/14/2007)
Since I don't have a subscription let me ask some questions...
GM builds their pickups in about 4 plants across North America with most of them being built in the U.S. So, are all the hybrid versions of the pickups going to be built in Canada? Or are some of the hybrid pickups going to be assembled in Canada and some in the U.S.? Are the hybrid parts going to come from Baltimore for these vehicles?
Why would the VUE hybrid be assembled in Canada if the "regular" VUE is to be built in Mexico? I mean GM's hybrid system is mostly transmission and battery (even in the full hybrid) so it seems like the VUE hybrid would be assembled in Mexico.
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