TORONTO — DesRosiers Automotive Consultants says Canada produced barely greater than 1.1 million mild autos final 12 months. Marking the bottom stage of manufacturing since 1967.

The low manufacturing numbers, down from 1.4 million in 2020 and properly under two million in 2019, got here because the auto sector globally was hit by a scarcity of semiconductor chips brought on by pandemic-related manufacturing points and a surge in demand for electronics.

Canadian manufacturing was hit particularly laborious as automakers prioritized chips for his or her extra worthwhile fashions like pickups and SUVs, pushing down Canada’s share of manufacturing to underneath 9 per cent.

Canada’s share of North American manufacturing has been on the decline for years, from 17 per cent in 2009 to 14.1 per cent in 2014 to round 10 per cent earlier than the pandemic.

DesRosiers mentioned Toyota led manufacturing among the many 5 large automakers in Canada with about 427,000 items, whereas on the different finish of the spectrum GM produced about 36,500.

GM, nevertheless, did restart manufacturing in November on the Oshawa meeting plant it had closed in 2019, and simply this week introduced it had added a second shift to the plant that now produces the Chevy Silverado. The corporate additionally plans to retool its Ingersoll, Ont., operation this 12 months to supply electrical supply autos.

Andrew King, managing accomplice at DesRosiers, mentioned Canada’s auto trade goes by way of each short-term transitory difficulties and long-term structural change as vegetation announce revised mandates and firms begin to embrace the wave of electrification.

“Whereas it appears unlikely that Canada will, within the close to time period at the very least, totally recuperate misplaced manufacturing floor, there does exists a transparent alternative to revitalize and adapt this critically essential sector.”