Is Ontario destined to become a relic of the auto industry?

[beeeerock]

While I don't disagree with the sentiment, that comes with HUGE risk. What if you bet on the wrong horse? What if it turns out some other jurisdiction is better suited or more competitive? Governments need revenues to run all of the programs they run for us, and if a policy decision ends up chasing out a big piece of the province's economy, jobs will be lost and gov't revenues will fall. Not sure what the answer is, but until it becomes clear, I thing we have to keep diversified.

I look at it more simplistically I suppose. In my opinion, moving forward and doing the best we can with the knowledge we have today is our best plan. Yes, it might turn out to be wrong, or not as right as we hoped going in... but that is better than doing nothing, because we KNOW where that will get us...!

I don't think that doing nothing could result in an outcome any better than even the worst case scenario of saddling the wrong horse (or horses). It's a leap of faith, but one we really have no choice other than what the leap actually is. In other words, doing nothing equals guaranteed fail... doing something will result in an outcome no worse than fail, but with possibilities all the way to absolute win.

And we're not alone. It's the same problem in every country.

 

[Ktowntslafan]

In other words, doing nothing equals guaranteed fail... doing something will result in an outcome no worse than fail, but with possibilities all the way to absolute win.
And we're not alone. It's the same problem in every country.

Cheers!

 

[Ktowntslafan]

Fair enough. I was thinking of your earlier "tough love" comment about letting manufacturers who don't want to play ball go. An "all or nothing" approach may leave us with them all gone and potentially no industry to fill the void.

Looks like they want to play ball (with our tax dollars...):

Carlisle called on governments in Canada to “act quickly” to make sure they have a "purposeful role" in this evolving automotive landscape.

"No company, country or government owns this space, but we see that Canada has distinct advantages in mobile technology, engineering skills, applied research and a strong automotive history," said Carlisle. "As Canada prepares to invest billions in much needed urban transportation infrastructure, we need to understand how new automotive technologies and urban mobility approaches can increase infrastructure ROI, accelerate environmental benefits and anchor new high skilled Canadian jobs at the forefront of a new automotive innovation supply chain."
GM Canada calls on government to play role in auto innovation | AR Canada

 

[Ktowntslafan]

I look at it more simplistically I suppose. In my opinion, moving forward and doing the best we can with the knowledge we have today is our best plan. Yes, it might turn out to be wrong, or not as right as we hoped going in... but that is better than doing nothing, because we KNOW where that will get us...!

I don't think that doing nothing could result in an outcome any better than even the worst case scenario of saddling the wrong horse (or horses). It's a leap of faith, but one we really have no choice other than what the leap actually is. In other words, doing nothing equals guaranteed fail... doing something will result in an outcome no worse than fail, but with possibilities all the way to absolute win.

And we're not alone. It's the same problem in every country.

Well, we've done nothing to date (that I'm aware of). Meanwhile, Nevada is becoming E-troit and China is looking exceptionally ambitious on EV's. I fear very bad things for Ontario, unless we take swift action. Duguid is in deep with Big Auto and their anti EV agenda.

Padmasree Warrior, who until September served as chief technology and strategy officer at Cisco SystemsInc., said she is joining Chinese auto startup NextEV Inc. as its U.S. chief executive officer and head of software development.

Ex-Cisco Executive Padmasree Warrior Joins Electric-Car Startup - WSJ

 

[Ktowntslafan]

Hats off to this politician...he's on the leading edge of the EVolution:

Gov. Sandoval formally announces electric vehicle plant deal

 

[Ktowntslafan]

If EV's are the future, and we all know they are, we should be supporting manufacturers who are investing in that space. What we are doing now is corporate welfare. We are buying jobs with tax dollars, which is ridiculous and unsustainable. So, let's sit down with the five manufacturers above, tell them that we are ready to invest heavily in the future, but no longer in the past. RAV4 hybrid is a good example. But we shouldn't stop there, we need to be talking to Tesla, Apple and all new entrants to the EV space.

VW seeing the light. Too bad we don't build them in Ontario:

"The automobile world is changing dramatically and new players have unbelievable resources, ” Diess said. “Now it’s important to revamp and let things go to invest in other things like software development and battery production.”

VW to Add Flat Batteries to Boost Sales of Electric Vehicles - Bloomberg Business

 

[Ktowntslafan]

We are not diversified at present...that's the whole point of the article.

So lets create policy that GETS us diversified.

- - - Updated - - -

Here's a great interview on the subject:

Ontarios Auto Industry: End of An Era? - YouTube

Ontario is in for some hurt-nothing being done-so frustrating:

The driverless, car-sharing road ahead | The Economist

 

[Peter_M]

At least testing autonomous cars is now legal in Ontario:

What must be resolved before we use driverless cars? | Toronto Star

 

[Ktowntslafan]

Canada misses out on new auto assembly plants

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repo...-on-new-auto-assembly-plants/article28772675/

Most promising article I've read in a while-see the last three paragraphs:

While they may pause new investment in assembly plants, auto makers are spending billions of dollars developing battery and hybrid-powered vehicles and autonomous cars in an industry that is being disrupted by new technologies and high-tech new players such as Apple Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc.

That represents a major opportunity for Ontario and Canada to win new investment, Ontario Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid said last week.

“We’ve had decades of being a leader in building cars and [auto] parts,” Mr. Duguid said. “All of that can continue if we can be a leader in disruption. The jurisdictions that step up and lead the technological disruption will be the ones that will do well over the next 20 or 30 years.”

Cause it's happening: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/56454-Have-Tesla-and-Apple-disrupted-the-auto-industry-past-the-point-of-no-return

 

[beeeerock]

“We’ve had decades of being a leader in building cars and [auto] parts,” Mr. Duguid said. “All of that can continue if we can be a leader in disruption. The jurisdictions that step up and lead the technological disruption will be the ones that will do well over the next 20 or 30 years.”

Tarzan always lets go of the first vine in order to swing on the second.

The existing manufacturing sector is less relevant with every passing year. Time to move on or be left behind.