Automobile Industry Canada

General Motors of Canada Ltd. said Wednesday that it was temporarily shutting down some Canadian assembly and parts plants in early January because of soft vehicle demand mostly in the United States. About 17,700 workers would be affected, the company said. Nick Hall, GM of Canada spokesman, said by telephone that the company's two car assembly plants in Oshawa and its full-size van plant in Scarborough, all in Ontario, would be closed for the week of Jan. 2. He also said the Ste.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said it will begin selling cars and light trucks in Canada at 51 dealerships in 2003 to boost North American sales as demand slows in Japan. Mitsubishi, Japan's fourth-largest auto maker, said it plans to open 150 Canadian dealerships by 2005 and sell 38,000 new vehicles a year in the country by 2007. It expects to spend $350 million over five years on the expansion. Auto makers sell about 1.

Hyundai, the South Korean auto maker, will build mid-size cars for Chrysler at Hyundai's new Canadian assembly plant beginning in the spring of 1991, Chrysler said. Under a preliminary agreement announced Tuesday, the South Korean firm plans to supply Chrysler with 30,000 four-door sedans a year from its plant in Bromont, Quebec.

A Canadian television ad for the DaimlerChrysler Neon was taken off the air and reedited last week after viewers--mostly men--complained about its violent content. The commercial showed a young couple walking down a street. As they pass a parked Chrysler Neon, the man turns to admire it. At the same time, another woman passes between him and the car. Believing her boyfriend is leering at the other woman, the girlfriend slaps him.

The only people still working at the old General Motors plant here these days are the ones running earthmovers, bulldozers and cranes to scrape away rubble. In August 1992, GM closed the 45-year-old assembly plant, idling 2,600 workers, and shifted production of its Pontiac Firebirds and Chevy Camaros to its newer plant in Ste. Therese, Canada, a suburb of Montreal.

The head of the Canadian Auto Workers union said he was shocked by Ford Motor Co.'s initial contract proposal and that it would be nearly impossible to reach an agreement before the midnight Tuesday deadline. "It's so bad, it jeopardizes their ability to get a settlement without a work stoppage," said CAW President Buzz Hargrove. Ford had offered a $340 (U.S.) lump-sum payment in the first year and 1% wage increases in the second and third years. The CAW represents about 13,000 Ford workers.

Negotiators with the Canadian Auto Workers union and Ford Motor Co. reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract, averting a possible strike. The contract calls for a raise of 4.5% a year with a one-time signing bonus of $678 (U.S.), CAW President Buzz Hargrove said. The average Canadian line worker at Ford earns a base wage of about $16 an hour and skilled workers earn $19. Similar workers in the U.S. earn $20.71 and $24.38 an hour, respectively.

The Canadian Auto Workers will negotiate first with Ford Motor Co. on a labor accord that will set a pattern for contract talks with General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler. The CAW chose Ford partly because the United Auto Workers union said it won't negotiate first with the world's No. 2 auto maker, CAW President Buzz Hargrove said. The CAW contract with Ford, GM and DaimlerChrysler expires at midnight Sept. 21.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said it will begin selling cars and light trucks in Canada at 51 dealerships in 2003 to boost North American sales as demand slows in Japan. Mitsubishi, Japan's fourth-largest auto maker, said it plans to open 150 Canadian dealerships by 2005 and sell 38,000 new vehicles a year in the country by 2007. It expects to spend $350 million over five years on the expansion. Auto makers sell about 1.

The Canadian Auto Workers withdrew an 11:59 p.m. Tuesday deadline to strike General Motors Corp. after bargainers reached "the framework for a tentative agreement," union President Buzz Hargrove said. The pact was expected to be formalized Tuesday night, after which the CAW would recommend that its 22,000 GM members ratify it, the Hargrove said. GM issued a brief statement saying it and the union had reached a tentative agreement.

The Canadian Auto Workers union threatened a strike at DaimlerChrysler at midnight Tuesday unless Canada's largest auto-parts supplier, Magna International Inc., recognizes the union at an Ontario plant. The CAW said most of the 550 workers at Magna's Integram-Windsor seating plant near Windsor, which makes seats for DaimlerChrysler minivans, have signed membership cards.

Negotiators with the Canadian Auto Workers union and Ford Motor Co. reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract, averting a possible strike. The contract calls for a raise of 4.5% a year with a one-time signing bonus of $678 (U.S.), CAW President Buzz Hargrove said. The average Canadian line worker at Ford earns a base wage of about $16 an hour and skilled workers earn $19. Similar workers in the U.S. earn $20.71 and $24.38 an hour, respectively.

The head of the Canadian Auto Workers union said he was shocked by Ford Motor Co.'s initial contract proposal and that it would be nearly impossible to reach an agreement before the midnight Tuesday deadline. "It's so bad, it jeopardizes their ability to get a settlement without a work stoppage," said CAW President Buzz Hargrove. Ford had offered a $340 (U.S.) lump-sum payment in the first year and 1% wage increases in the second and third years. The CAW represents about 13,000 Ford workers.

The Canadian Auto Workers will negotiate first with Ford Motor Co. on a labor accord that will set a pattern for contract talks with General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler. The CAW chose Ford partly because the United Auto Workers union said it won't negotiate first with the world's No. 2 auto maker, CAW President Buzz Hargrove said. The CAW contract with Ford, GM and DaimlerChrysler expires at midnight Sept. 21.

The Canadian Auto Workers union threatened a strike at DaimlerChrysler at midnight Tuesday unless Canada's largest auto-parts supplier, Magna International Inc., recognizes the union at an Ontario plant. The CAW said most of the 550 workers at Magna's Integram-Windsor seating plant near Windsor, which makes seats for DaimlerChrysler minivans, have signed membership cards.

Canadian Auto Union Targets Chrysler: The Canadian Auto Workers union named Chrysler Corp. as its strike target if a new labor agreement cannot be reached by Sept. 17. The move virtually assures that the United Auto Workers union in Detroit will pick General Motors Corp. or Ford Motor Co. as the lead company to hammer out a new contract in the United States.

Japan appealed to the World Trade Organization after Canada refused to lower tariffs on motor vehicles imported from most countries other than the U.S. Last month, Canadian Industry Minister John Manley said the government won't drop tariffs below the 6.1% level scheduled to take effect in January without a new round of world trade talks. Japanese auto makers such as Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp.