Confirmation of Camaro Covertible Production

[thegmconnection.com]

Oshawa Car Assembly Plant to Add Second Shift
to Support Buick Regal Production

• Up to 700 employees expected to return to the Oshawa flex line

• North American Buick Regal production to begin in Q1 of 2011

TORONTO, ON, February 11, 2010 – Plans to add a second shift to the Oshawa Car Assembly Plant’s state-of-the-art flexible manufacturing line were announced today by General Motors of Canada at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. The shift will begin in the fourth quarter of 2010 in preparation for the North American production of the Buick Regal, which is slated to commence in the first quarter of 2011.

“We’re really excited to be adding production of the all-new Buick Regal alongside the hot-selling Chevrolet Camaro at the Oshawa Car Assembly Plant,” said Marc Comeau, GM of Canada’s vice-president of sales, service and marketing. “With the plant’s longstanding reputation for quality, and the Regal’s award-winning European roots, customers are in for a top quality ride, unlike anything they’ve seen from Buick before.”

The new 2011 Regal is a midsize sport sedan based on the award-winning Opel Insignia – the 2009 “European Car of the Year” – and it brings all of Insignia’s award-winning design, technology and European-inspired performance capabilities to the North American market.

The addition of the second shift to support Buick Regal production is expected to return up to 700 employees to the Oshawa Car Plant and is the latest in a string of positive news for GM manufacturing in Canada, including:

• Oshawa Car Plant running Saturday overtime since June 2009 to keep up with demand for the Chevrolet Camaro

• Production of the Camaro Convertible will begin in Oshawa in Q1 2011

• The recent addition of a 3rd shift, plus steady scheduled overtime at CAMI Automotive, plus an additional investment of $C96 million to add a further 50,000 units of annual capacity to keep up with strong demand for the all-new Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain

• The recent $200m investment in the high feature V6 engine to increase capacity in St. Catharines and to implement Spark Ignition, Direct Injection technology

• The announcement of a planned additional module of the new 6-speed front wheel drive transmission to be built at St. Catharines

The new Buick Regal joins the Chevrolet Equinox and the GMC Terrain as the third new vehicle in the production commitment that was part of the agreement with the Canadian and Ontario Governments.

[SQUALO]

Great news, and I'm really happy that more people are going to be called back to work. Afterall, Oshawa is top notch, and GM better remember that

[thegmconnection.com]

Originally Posted by SQUALO

Great news, and I'm really happy that more people are going to be called back to work. Afterall, Oshawa is top notch, and GM better remember that

Yes it is great news! Now only to keep the windsor transmission plant open! I think im dreaming

[djsnoflake]

Bah we knew that already. Tell me when the Z/28 comes out

[PAUL SS]

Is there currently an unused line at Oshawa? Will the regal be built in the same building as the Camaro? How does this work?

[CanadianCamaro]

Originally Posted by Paul SS

Is there currently an unused line at Oshawa? Will the regal be built in the same building as the Camaro? How does this work?

The answer to all your questions is yes.

Oshawa is huge - not sure but it's probably close to 50 acres. There is several parts of the facility that are currently unused unfortunately - the truck line for one. However the current main lines are the flex lines (Camaro & Impalla/Malibu). Same building as the Camaro? Well most of the active parts of the plant are in the same "building". But in Oshawa, with the exception of the truck plant and the paint plant, all of the buildings are mostly interconnected. I believe it's going to be the same line even (that's what I was told anyway - someone will chime in). So in otherwords, in some sections of the line (not all), a Camaro will come down the line followed immediately by a regal etc.

[PAUL SS]

Originally Posted by CanadianCamaro

The answer to all your questions is yes.

Oshawa is huge - not sure but it's probably close to 50 acres. There is several parts of the facility that are currently unused unfortunately - the truck line for one. However the current main lines are the flex lines (Camaro & Impalla/Malibu). Same building as the Camaro? Well most of the active parts of the plant are in the same "building". But in Oshawa, with the exception of the truck plant and the paint plant, all of the buildings are mostly interconnected. I believe it's going to be the same line even (that's what I was told anyway - someone will chime in). So in otherwords, in some sections of the line (not all), a Camaro will come down the line followed immediately by a regal etc.

Anybody want an LS3 Regal?

Thanks for the answers, very interesting.

[CanadianCamaro]

Originally Posted by Paul SS

Anybody want an LS3 Regal?

Thanks for the answers, very interesting.

That's why they call it the "flex line". It's actually a very very interesting innovation in automotive assembly technology. Oshawa is the only plant that uses this flex line technology. It's something we're hoping some of us will get to see first hand this summer.... oh wait... doh.... you didn't hear me say that

[TJ91]

Originally Posted by CanadianCamaro

That's why they call it the "flex line". It's actually a very very interesting innovation in automotive assembly technology. Oshawa is the only plant that uses this flex line technology. It's something we're hoping some of us will get to see first hand this summer.... oh wait... doh.... you didn't hear me say that

Scott, your like the Canadian number 3 now

[pony]

Originally Posted by CanadianCamaro

So in otherwords, in some sections of the line (not all), a Camaro will come down the line followed immediately by a regal etc.

So will the Camaro convertible be the "ect." following the regal??