General Motors Prepares Ontario Plant to Build Cadillac XTS

General Motors readies its assembly facility in Oshawa, Ontario for the build of the new Cadillac XTS luxury sedan by investing $117 million securing this way 400 jobs at the facility. When GM filled for bankruptcy protection in 2009 the manufacturer has laid off more than 1,000 workers, but waters are more clear now and the manufacturer planned to start production at the plant in 2012.

“Adding the Cadillac XTS affirms GM's commitment to a strong manufacturing base in Canada, ensuring Oshawa will have a critical role in the ongoing transformation of Cadillac," Kevin Williams, president and managing director of GM of Canada was quoted as saying by autonews.com.

The Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) greeted the announcement but local president Chris Buckley said it was no surprise as “the Cadillac is a vehicle we bargained for.”

"Our major obstacle is that we have a consolidated plant that produces the Chevrolet Impala and Equinox, which will be idled in 2013... We need new products at the consolidated plant (or) else we will suffer," Chris Buckley was quoted by the aforementioned source. The expansion for the Oshawa plant included the addition of 1,300 employees over the pas year, along with the production of the Equinox, Chevrolet Camaro convertible and Buick Regal.

The plant will create or retain 400 jobs thanks to the new investment. The facility being the GM’s biggest facility in Canada employs 4,500 workers. The Canadian government has loaned GM about $9.5 billion in 2009 as a helping hand for avoiding liquidation. At that moment GM said it would maintain just under 20 percent of its US-Canada production in Canada, and that it will spend $2.25 billion on capital projects across the country by 2016.