Honda's big $15-billion announcement was this week's biggest story. But there also was interest in some new product from Toyota, and labour happenings south of the border, where the United Auto Workers unionized a Volkswagen plant.
Here's a quick rundown of those and the other stories that were our top five by reader interest:
1. Honda's big investment
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, left, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, look on as Honda executive Toshihiro Mibe speaks at an event announcing plans for a Honda electric vehicle battery plant in Alliston, Ont., on April 26, 2024.
Honda Motor Co. will build an integrated electric-vehicle battery supply chain in Canada from the ground up with a series of investments in Ontario worth a combined $15 billion.
The plans for a vertically integrated supply chain cover “all aspects” of EV production — from the procurement of raw materials for batteries, to the production of finished EVs — Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe told reporters in Alliston.
The federal government pledged up to $2.5 billion in investment tax credits to support Honda’s set of projects, while the Ontario government will contribute up to a matching $2.5 billion in direct and indirect incentives.
2. 2024 Toyota Tacoma gets power boost
When it goes on sale in late spring, the redesigned 2024 Toyota Tacoma's optional i-Force Max hybridized powertrain may add 48 hp and 148 pound-feet of torque to the top-selling midsize pickup.
The i-Force Max is standard on Limited, Trailhunter and TRD Pro trims, and optional on TRD Off-Road Premium in Canada.
3. UAW unionizes VW in Tennessee
The UAW claimed victory with 2,628 votes in favour and 985 opposed after two failed attempts in the past decade to organize VW's plant.
Workers at Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant in Tennessee voted overwhelmingly to join the UAW, a potentially industry-altering move that represents a breakthrough in the union's long-running crusade to organize transplant automakers in the southern United States.
4. Affordability might slowly be returning
Is the vehicle-affordability problem in Canada — some have called it a crisis — solving itself? If you believe vehicles are a commodity, and subject to the pressures of supply and demand, the answer might be yes, our Editor-in-Chief Jeff Melnychuk writes in his most recent opinion piece.
5. New Tesla product?
Tesla said in its most recent quarterly earnings report that it was moving up the timeline for new products, without offering any details.
“We have updated our future vehicle line-up to accelerate the launch of new models ahead of our previously communicated start of production in the second half of 2025," the company said in the report.
