GM looks north for global driving solutions

Canada will play a major role in deciding the global future of the world’s largest carmaker, as General Motors plans to hire 1,000 Canadian engineers in the next five years to research, design and prototype autonomous, connected and alternative-fuel vehicles.

From the Communitech innovation facility in Waterloo, Ont., to GM’s software centre in Markham, Ont., and its planned Urban Mobility Campus in the heart of Toronto, GM Canada has been granted a major stake in the future of a global brand bracing for significant upheaval in how the world’s population gets around.

“This is a real testament to the talent we produce in Canada,” said Jennifer Wright, GM Canada spokeswoman. “With these high-calibre graduates, the company believes Canada doesn’t have to take a back seat to any other jurisdiction.

“This is a huge feather in the cap for GM Canada, proving the company believes Canada can lead in the future of connected vehicles and the future of mobility.”

The automobile industry “has never moved this fast” towards a period of significant disruption, with shared mobility, autonomous vehicles and multiple modes of transportation threatening to change a business model that’s been in place for more than 100 years, said Mark Nantais, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association.

“General Motors is part of a very huge movement towards disruptive technology, and it’s moving at an incredible pace,” he said.

“The engineering capacity we have is well-positioned to capitalize on this movement, and why wouldn’t companies factor that into their global strategies?

“If you’re an engineer in Canada, this is a very exciting time.”

Positioning GM to remain relevant is what these engineers will be tasked with, GM’s Wright said. They will research and develop products and business models for autonomous cars, car-sharing and multi-modal forms of transportation, such as taking a bus to catch a train and then walking or cycling the so-called last mile to work.

“The focus will be on clean energy technology, alternative fuel systems and alternative fuels, with a mandate for autonomous vehicle development and the theory of the driverless car,” Wright said. “It’s pretty cool that right here in Canada, we’ll be working on those technologies.”

Wright envisions a future where a system of car sharing is included in a condominium complex’s monthly fees, and where individual car ownership becomes a thing of the past.

“The automotive industry is really changing. It’s not going to be about market share any more, but about software as much as it is about nuts and bolts,” Wright said. “The vehicle is the new Internet of Things.

“We’re looking at selling kilometres and gigabytes.”

The bulk of the engineers will be in computing and software, the final frontier in automotive development, Wright said. Recruitment begins immediately, with the first hires in the Markham software centre and an anticipated 700 positions over the next few years.

Included in GM’s announcement is a $10-million investment in its cold weather testing facility in Kapuskasking, Ont.

GM came under intense criticism in 2015, when it moved production of the Camaro sports car from Oshawa to Lansing, Mich., costing 1,000 Canadian jobs, and in 2009, when it closed the Oshawa Truck Assembly plant.

Wright said these announcements go a long way towards offsetting those criticisms.

“It’s not an either-or, we want both,” she said. “We are certainly going to capitalize on this investment and lead in our innovation centres, but assembling vehicles in Canada is important to us, too.”