Buick Regal to be produced in Oshawa

OSHAWA -- It's official, the city will be more Regal in 2011.

The Buick vehicle with the stately name will be produced in Oshawa starting in the first quarter of 2011.

Rumours have been circulating for months that the local plant would be home to the Buick Regal, a midsize sport sedan based on the European Opel Insignia. On Wednesday, General Motors stopped the speculation, announcing the Regal would be the next car to roll into Oshawa alongside the Chevrolet Camaro and Chevrolet Impala.

"It's a good news story and we'll take it," said Canadian Auto Workers Local 222 president Chris Buckley. "We haven't had a good news story in a long time."

Mr. Buckley said the company promised the union three new products would come into the plant before 2013 during May 2008 contract negotiations. This was reconfirmed in every round of bargaining since those negotiations, he said.

"I'm grateful this has been announced and it's official," he said.

The Impala is built on the car plant's consolidated line. The Camaro is built on the flexible manufacturing line, which is the same line the Regal will be produced on.

GM spokeswoman Adria MacKenzie said that whether an additional shift will be added to the plant to produce the Regal depends on market demand for the car.

If an additional shift is added, it would mean 600 to 700 more jobs in the plant, Mr. Buckley said. The union has 1,200 workers on indefinite layoff right now, he said.

Ms. MacKenzie said the company anticipates the Regal will be a very strong seller and could become Buick's volume leader.

The Opel Insignia, the vehicle the Regal was based on, was named the 2009 European Car of the Year. The Regal "brings all of Insignia's award-winning design, technology and European-inspired performance capabilities to the North American market," said a release from GM.

"We are very excited and we are looking forward to ramping up production," Ms. MacKenzie said.