General Motors Canada announced Friday it is recalling more than 700 laid-off workers in Ontario, a sign the automaker is recovering from the worst crisis in its history.
GM, which had to shut down most of its North American operations for weeks last year due to weak demand and the near-collapse of its parent company, said it was adding a third shift at its Oshawa assembly plant and increasing production at its CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ont.
The automaker said the increased production is in response to growing customer demand for the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain, both crossover utility vehicles that are very popular in the United States.
The vehicles are currently produced at the plant in Ingersoll, in southwestern Ontario. But GM Canada also plans to do some of finishing work on the Equinox at its main manufacturing location in Oshawa.
“It’s very, very creative and I think, if nothing else, it shows that General Motors really is intent on looking for every advantage,” said Bill Pochiluk, president of industry adviser AutomotiveCompass.
“I think this really does speak to the new General Motors and how it thinks, how quickly it acts,” Pochiluk said.
Sagging demand for larger, gas-guzzling vehicles hit GM particularly hard during the recession, costing thousands of jobs across North America.
The once prolific automaker scaled back to produce just four core brands: Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC. The company is either selling or winding down its other iconic brands, including Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab.
The sharp reduction cost General Motors its title as the world’s No. 1 automaker. That honour went to Toyota in 2009, but may once again be up for grabs as the Japanese carmaker battles weaker demand and a spate of bad publicity connected to recalls of eight of its models.
