But despite few wins in Mexico’s column so far — zero of 10 large-scale battery plants — it is too early in the EV transition to discount the role that country could play in the segment over the long term.
Tapping long-established internal-combustion-engine vehicle hubs in both Canada and the United States for the new investments lets automakers draw from familiar labour pools to ensure they have the right mix of talent for big new projects, said Michael Robinet, executive director of Michigan-based S&P Global Mobility.“[In] Ontario and Canada, we have talented people. I think that’s the No. 1 aspect that we bring to this revitalized industry.
The new trade agreement stipulates that starting in 2023, at least 40 per cent of the components in passenger vehicles assembled in North America must come from plants where workers earn at least US $16 an hour. For light or heavy trucks built on the continent, the threshold is 45 per cent.The labour-content rule is not likely the “make-it-or-break-it part of an [automaker’s] decision-making” but is working in Canada’s favour, DiCaro said.
The string of automotive investments also extends to Quebec, thanks at least in part to Canada’s battery mineral wealth and federal and provincial strategies to make use of the resources.