GM Oshawa Silverado production will change in November when the plant stops building the light-duty Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and increases its focus on heavy-duty pickups.
General Motors spokesperson Jennifer Wright confirmed the timing to The Globe and Mail. She said employment levels at the Oshawa Assembly plant are expected to remain unchanged when production of the light-duty model ends.
Heavy-duty output is expected to replace the volume
The plant currently makes both the Silverado 1500 and Silverado HD. GM plans to replace the departing light-duty volume by boosting heavy-duty Silverado output while preparing to add the GMC Sierra HD by 2028.
The company announced a $144-million investment for Sierra HD production after August bargaining talks with Unifor, which represents about 1,800 workers at the plant. Unifor Local 222 president Jeff Gray said he had not been advised of coming job losses and that adding GMC and Chevrolet heavy-duty trucks was important to maintaining two shifts.
GM has not announced the exact start date for GMC Sierra HD output. Gray said the new truck is expected to be produced in Oshawa by late 2028.
AutoForecast Solutions estimates the plant will build about 114,000 trucks in 2026, divided nearly evenly between light- and heavy-duty Silverados. GM does not disclose its own production-volume figures.
The November change follows an earlier decision to increase Silverado 1500 production in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Oshawa operation will continue building pickup trucks, and the company says the loss of the light-duty model will not reduce current employment.
The confirmed GM Oshawa Silverado production plan is to retain heavy-duty output and prepare for the additional GMC line while the Ontario auto sector faces tariffs and shifting North American manufacturing plans.
