GM's Connected Goals Leads to Oshawa Engineering Centre Investment

The economic climate in Oshawa has been rather unsettled in recent years. The Canadian city's long-time main employer General Motors has been mum on their plans for the Oshawa Assembly Plant as future production remains uncertain. Providing some relief to Oshawa, General Motors Canada today announced a significant investment into their Engineering Centre.

Pledging a new mandate related to the development of connected car systems, environmental and urban mobility solutions, General Motors Canada formalized plans that will lead to more than 100 new jobs in the software and controls engineering sector. Choosing their Canadian Engineering Centre as a innovation hub for future technologies in the automotive industry, General Motors Canada also fortified their support for the cold-weather testing facility in Kapuskasing, Ontario (located approximately a hundred kilometers north of Timmins). The Canadian Engineering Centre was established by the auto company in 2001.

Providing clarity to the purpose of the GM Canada Engineering Centre in Oshawa, president and managing director for the country's operations Steve Carlisle explained intentions across sector automotive development sectors. "Today, “connected car” technologies are enabling an exciting range of new safety, environmental and infotainment applications. We will also build upon our Centre’s expertise in the use of alternative fuels, light-weight and advanced materials which help improve fuel economy and offer customers new and more sustainable technology solutions. And importantly, we will support GM’s future thinking in the critical area of urban mobility solutions." The field of connected vehicles received the greatest emphasize in the announcement. high-speed data links between vehicles and mobile networks appear to be an immediate focus for their new investment.

An announcement made in the presence of Ontario's Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure Brad Duguid as well as the research chair of the University of Waterloo Dr. Amir Khajepour. The province of Ontario gains the satisfaction of an additional commitment from General Motors Canada; the second since the Chevrolet Equinox production was secured for the Ingersoll manufacturing complex. General Motors Canada's relationship with universities in the development of new technologies gave Dr. Amir Khajepour a reason to celebrate today's news. “As a long-time partner in research with GM Canada, we are delighted with this new focus on connected car and green technologies at GM Canada’s Engineering Centre. This will provide our students and graduates with even more opportunities to apply their knowledge in an important and growing field of study and commercialization.” said Khajepour. In recent years, General Motors partnered with McMaster University in studying the degradation in lithium-ion batteries seeking prolongation. Director of GM Canada’s Engineering Centre Brian Tossan says, “We’re excited to reach out to Canada’s best and brightest minds about the new work and job opportunities opening up with GM Canada. We are creating the future as part of GM’s global development of tomorrow’s automobiles.”

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