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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2257
INFO RUCNCAN/ALCAN COLLECTIVE
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RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0060
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RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TORONTO 000450 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD ELAB PGOV SENV CA
SUBJECT: Changing Face of Canadian Auto Sector 
 
Ref: (A) Toronto 414 (B) Toronto 358 (C) Toronto 53 (D) Toronto 11 
 
TORONTO 00000450  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified - Please Protect Accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  An ascending Canadian dollar, briefly topping 
US$1.10 for the first time in modern history on November 7 and still 
at US$1.04 as of November 14, continues to put pressure on the 
Canadian auto manufacturing sector, and to erode its global 
competitiveness.  Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union President Buzz 
Hargrove has renewed his opposition to the proposed Canada-Korean 
Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which he says would make matters worse 
(ref (A)).  Ontario manufacturers are calling for a cut in interest 
rates to help take some of the air out of the loonie, but market 
analysts are concerned that such a move will only fuel consumer 
spending and borrowing.  Soaring relative costs determined in 
Canadian dollars, diminished U.S. demand, and higher fuel costs 
changing consumers' preferences, have forced more layoffs at 
Chrysler Canada, and the parts sector is expected to be next.  On 
November 7, CAW workers signed a deal with parts supplier Magna, 
giving the unionized employees at Magna's Windsor Modules plant more 
job security.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Canadian vehicle sales were up 2% to 121,237 in October, 
compared with 118,833 in October 2006, compared to a 2% drop from 
September 2006 to September 2007.  Chrysler Canada, Ford Canada, and 
GM Canada all outperformed the market for the first time in three 
years, with GM up 13%, Ford 6%, and Chrysler 3%.  The Detroit Three 
outshone their Japanese competitors after offering incentives to car 
buyers, which included cash rebates of up to C$5,250 at Chrysler and 
C$7,000 at Ford.  Honda Canada's sales were down 9%, and Toyota 
Canada sales were down 10%.  That contrasted with the United States, 
where rising gas prices reportedly drove up U.S. sales for small 
cars, including Toyota, thereby apparently creating a shortage of 
small cars for sale in Canada (where small car sales had been very 
strong until last month). 
 
¶3. (U) Early in November, Honda Canada responded with incentives as 
high as C$5,500 for cash purchases of the Pilot crossover vehicle; 
C$1,500 to buyers of the compact Civic; and up to C$4,000 on some 
models of the Accord. On November 8, GM Canada, Canada's biggest 
automaker, joined its competition in offering rebates of C$1,500 to 
C$10,000 on select models.  GM also announced that it will cut its 
own collection of the goods and services tax (GST) by 1% until 
January, when the GST will be officially lowered from 6% to 5% by 
the federal government. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Cross-Border Auto Shopping Continues 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) Despite sales incentives by the Canadian auto sector, the 
high-flying Canadian dollar and lower U.S. list prices are 
attracting more Canadian shoppers daily, according to the Registrar 
of Imported Vehicles.  25,000 Canadians bought U.S. vehicles in 
October, and it is estimated that 170,000 Canadians will buy a 
vehicle in the U.S. in 2007.  The previous one-year record for the 
number of Canadians buying U.S. vehicles was 112,000.  40% of the 
vehicles purchased in the U.S. by Canadians are expected to be new, 
rather than used.  An industry insider told us that most of the cars 
being imported from the U.S. into Canada are used cars because it is 
difficult for Canadians to finance new cars in the U.S.; purchases 
therefore tend to be in cash.  5,000 Canadians reportedly call the 
registrar per day looking for information on importing cars from the 
U.S.  When the Canadian dollar hit US$1.08 last week, that number 
rose to 7,000. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Chrysler Announces More Job Losses 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) On November 1, Chrysler Canada announced it plans to 
eliminate 1,100 jobs (roughly one shift of workers) at its Toronto 
Area plant in Brampton.  This downsizing is in line with recent 
workforce reductions at Ford in St. Thomas, Ontario and GM in 
Oshawa, Ontario, though Chrysler has not trimmed as many jobs at its 
Canadian operations as have Ford and GM in the last year or two.  In 
August, GM announced that it would eliminate 1,200 of the 3,000 jobs 
at its truck plant in Oshawa by January 2008 due to diminishing U.S. 
demand.  85% of the trucks assembled at the Oshawa plant are 
destined for sale in the U.S.  Another 3,000 jobs will be eliminated 
over the next two years at GM's Oshawa car plants.  This year, Ford 
has shed 3,000 jobs by closing its Essex Engine Plant in Windsor, 
and eliminating one shift at its St. Thomas assembly plant (ref 
(D)).  Chrysler's announced cuts are in addition to its elimination 
 
TORONTO 00000450  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
of 2,000 jobs in Canada by 2009, announced at the beginning of this 
year (ref (C)).  Most of those cuts affected Chrysler's Windsor 
assembly plant (ref (C)). 
 
¶6. (U) Chrysler also plans to discontinue four of its models that 
have shown a consistent decline in sales; including the Dodge Magnum 
muscle car and the Chrysler Pacifica crossover, which are built in 
Brampton and Windsor, respectively.  Magnum sales slid 27% through 
the first 10 months of 2007.  The axing of the Pacifica will 
eliminate an additional 200 jobs later in November at Chrysler's 
Windsor assembly plant.  The Brampton layoffs are expected to start 
in February 2008.  In February of this year Chrysler announced plans 
to build the Dodge Challenger "muscle car" at its Brampton plant 
starting in 2008 (ref (C)). 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) Union Calls for Assistance 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) CAW President Buzz Hargrove has again called on the 
Canadian federal government to immediately end free trade talks with 
Korea and implement restrictions on imports from Korea and Japan 
until Canadian exports are given fair access abroad (ref (A)). 
Federal and provincial government officials reportedly responded to 
calls for assistance for the auto sector by saying the auto industry 
must adapt to the demands of North American consumers for more 
fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Parts Suppliers May Be Next to Feel Pain 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (U) Concerns are mounting that the recent deals struck in the 
U.S. between the UAW and Chrysler, GM, and Ford may impact 
Ontario-based Magna and other parts suppliers.  Some are speculating 
that the terms of these collective agreements may prompt GM, Ford, 
and Chrysler to in-source production of components and modules that 
are currently being produced by independent auto parts 
manufacturers.  Magna co-CEO Don Walker recently suggested that 
suppliers with weak financials would be dropped before strong 
performers such as Magna, which reported a Q3 profit of US$155 
million.  Guelph, Ontario-based parts supplier Linamar, a darling of 
Bay Street, may be hit hard by the collective agreements.  Magna, in 
an effort to remain globally competitive with a softening North 
American market, has already shut down some Canadian factories, 
moving production offshore. 
 
¶9. (U) On November 7, the CAW and auto parts supplier Magna ratified 
a three-year agreement which increases hourly wages from C$12 to 
about C$15 at Magna's Windsor Modules plant.  This is the first 
plant agreement formally ratified after the October 15 Magna/CAW 
announcement that the CAW would begin organizing Magna plants.  Over 
the length of the deal, wages at the Modules plant, which supplies 
door components to Chrysler factories in Windsor, will rise to about 
C$17.85 per hour, still far from the more than C$30 per hour (C$70 
per hour with pension benefits) paid at other CAW Chrysler, Ford, 
and GM plants.  87% of Magna's 250 hourly workers ratified the deal 
known as the Framework of Fairness agreement.  Under the agreement, 
workers have given up their right to strike, a contentious point 
that has met with strong criticism from many CAW members, but the 
CAW has secured layoff and job security provisions, which are new 
benefits for Magna employees.  On November 7, a Magna official told 
reporters that the agreement is "neither positive nor negative for 
Magna and will have no impact on profitability."  A CAW official 
said it will try to organize another 40 plants in the Magna system, 
but some Magna workers oppose the deal. 
 
¶10. (SBU) On November 12, Magna's Russian partner, Russian Machines, 
said that Magna will build a US$500 million manufacturing plant in 
Russia that will produce 150,000 Chrysler vehicles annually for 
consumption in that country; a Magna spokesperson called the report 
speculative.  Today, the Russian automobile market is roughly the 
same size as Canada's (1.9 million autos sold in 2006), but is 
expected to grow larger than Germany's auto market by 2016.  In 
March 2007, Chrysler reportedly indicated its plan to expand its 
global presence outside of North America to offset slowing demand at 
home.  9% of Chrysler's sales come from international markets; it 
currently has no production in Russia. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Comment:  While the soaring Canadian dollar continues to 
put pressure on the Canadian auto sector, market watchers agree that 
it is not easy to target manufacturers to help them out.  The 
Canadian dollar hit US$1.10 in morning trading on November 7, and 
has settled to US$1.04 on November 14.  On November 7, Ontario 
 
TORONTO 00000450  003 OF 003 
 
 
Premier Dalton McGuinty called on the Bank of Canada to lower 
interest rates to curb the rise of the Canadian dollar.  The Bank of 
Canada is keeping an eye on inflation but officials believe an 
interest rate cut could overheat Canada's currently hot 
commodity-driven economy.  Finance Minister Dwight Duncan told 
reporters November 7 that the Ontario government will continue 
working to support the manufacturing sector.  The provincial 
government may include an announcement to help the struggling 
automotive sector in the upcoming Liberal throne speech to the new 
Ontario Legislature on November 29.  End Comment. 
 
NAY