GM Canada makes big splash in Toronto

General Motors Canada is borrowing a page from its U.S. counterpart’s playbook with news it will open a new head office for its Cadillac division separate from the rest of the OEM’s headquarters.

The Toronto GM Mobility Campus will take shape in southeast Toronto on a seven-acre site the automaker recently purchased from Cinespace Film Studios.

GM says the multi-use facility will include office space, research and development facilities and a public experience centre featuring innovations in mobility.

It will also include a retail operation for both sales and service.

“We are very excited to be bringing GM Canada back into downtown Toronto with a future-oriented approach that will engage the community, universities, our customers and many other partners in the exciting transformations taking place in the automotive industry today,” said Steve Carlisle, president and managing director of General Motors of Canada.

“Downtown Toronto will now be home to two dynamic growing industries – automotive technology and film production. It’s a double win.”

A release from the automaker says the purchase will facilitate Cinespace’s plans to pursue relocation and expansion options in the Toronto Port Lands and elsewhere.

This corner of Toronto is no stranger to large automotive projects. A quick trip north on the Don Valley Parkway reveals massive dealerships on both side of the highway including spots for BMW, Mercedes-Benz, MINI and Lexus.

Work also continues nearby on Grand Touring Automobile’s massive multi-brand location for its bevy of luxury brands including Lamborghini, Bentley, Roll-Royce, Jaguar and Land Rover.

By far the most ambitious neighbourhood project belongs to Shahin Alizadeh and his Downtown Automotive Group. As first reported by Canadian AutoWorld last fall, DAG has partnered with developers Streetcar and Dream to build a community called Riverside Square.

The massive project, which includes over 800 condo units and a number of commercial storefronts, will also house AutoPlex – five separate, multi-level dealerships representing six brands all owned and operated by DAG.

Paula Fletcher, Toronto City Councillor for Ward 30 Toronto-Danforth said the latest investment from GM is a major addition to the community.

“We have fought long and hard for good jobs in our community and this will attract engineering, professional, high-paying jobs to this campus. It will also be a leading centre for green transportation and will allow the current film studio to be relocated from this site to bigger, better production facilities in the east end.”

GM made headlines in America in 2014 when it announced it would move its Cadillac operations out of the automakers sprawling Michigan headquarters to New York City.