Canada wants to attract new car manufacturers to its shores, promising to be the perfect place to establish production sites for electric vehicles and battery packs.
The nation’s Innovation Minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne, is currently in Japan and meeting with the bosses of various car manufacturers that don’t yet have manufacturing sites in the country. These include Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Nissan.
Speaking with Auto News Canada, Champagne said that the nation has the raw materials, skilled workforce, and the stability that car manufacturers desire. He is also telling the companies that “the rule of law is in high demand and short supply.”
Read More: Stellantis Investing $2.8 Billion In Canada To Build Electrified Cars At Brampton And Windsor Plants
Champagne says the car companies he has met with have stated that “the three things that really drive investments [are]: talent, ecosystem and resources. And when you put that together, Canada becomes kind of the supplier of choice.”
A number of car companies have announced significant investments into electric vehicle manufacturing in Canada. For example, Stellantis will invest $2.8 billion into its Canadian operations, morphing the Brampton and Windsor sites into facilities that produce EVs. Both Honda and Toyota are also retooling facilities in Canada to build EVs.
More specifically, Honda is spending $1.1 billion to retool its factory in Alliston, Ontario into a site that can produce hybrid vehicles, including a CR-V Hybrid.
Champagne has also been meeting with these carmakers, but noted these talks are different than those with companies that don’t have a manufacturing base in Canada.
Canada’s Innovation Minister made a separate trip to Europe in the spring and met with all the major German car manufacturers, including Volkswagen. It is reported that another trip to Asia is planned for the fall where Champagne could travel to Korea to meet with local carmakers.
