Canadian automotive industry
ised-isde.canada.ca
The Canadian automotive industry produces light duty vehicles — cars, vans, pickup trucks; heavy duty vehicles—trucks, transit buses, school buses, military vehicles; and a wide range of parts, components, and systems used in vehicles of this nature. To complement its manufacturing activities, the industry boasts a well-developed vehicle dealer network, plus an aftermarket organization which has grown into a world-class distribution system and service provider.

Canada’s automotive industry is centered in the heart of North America’s largest vehicle producing region: the Great Lakes automotive manufacturing cluster. Canada is one of the world’s top 12 producers of light vehicles. Five global OEMs assemble more than 1.4 million vehicles at their Canadian plants each year: Stellantis, Ford, GM, Honda and Toyota. Their plants are supplied by a vibrant ecosystem of nearly 700 parts suppliers, including homegrown Tier 1 companies like Magna, Linamar and Martinrea. Canada is home to one of only five machine-tool-die-and-mould (MTDM) making clusters in the world. It’s been building vehicles for over a century, and has a proud legacy of high quality auto manufacturing. The sector plays a key role in Canada’s economy. With a $12.5 billion contribution to GDP in 2020, it is one of Canada’s largest manufacturing sectors. The industry directly employs more than 117,200 people, with an additional 371,400 people in aftermarket services and dealership networks in 2020.