General Motors spending $691 million on St. Catharines engine plant

General Motors GMC pickup trucks are shown parked on Orono Agricultural Society land in Orono, Ont. on Sunday April 30, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives

TORONTO — General Motors says it will spend $691 million on its St. Catharines Propulsion Plant to support production of its latest V-8 engines for full-sized trucks and SUVs.

The automaker says the updates will make St. Catharines its third plant to produce the sixth generation of the engine, with production also based in Buffalo, N.Y., and Flint, Mich.

The investment comes as tariffs imposed by the U.S. government have raised concerns about the future of Canada’s automotive sector.

GM Canada president Jack Uppal says in a news release that the investment confirms St. Catharines’ role in one of its core vehicle programs for years to come.

The automaker has also been investing in its plant in Oshawa, Ont., that produces pickup trucks, though the company also moved the plant from three shifts to two at the end of January.

GM’s CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont., is sitting idle after it ended production of its electric delivery van last year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2026.