Closely related to Opel Insignia, the current Regal is built in Oshawa, Canada, next to the Chevrolet Camaro, the Cadillac XTS and the Chevrolet Impala. Building cars in Canada is expensive and GM will likely shutter the Oshawa plant before the end of the decade in order to save money.
The next Regal will again share many of its components with the Insignia, and production will likely be handled by Opel in Rüsselsheim, Germany, if GM closes the Oshawa plant. Moving production to Europe will also help GM fight the chronic under-capacity problem that has plagued many of its European factories for years.
GM has not commented on the report but trade journal Automotive News points out the automaker all but confirmed the next Regal will be built in Germany in a statement published earlier this year.
“The Rüsselsheim plant has been chosen for the assembly of a future model which will be sold in the U.S. under the Buick brand name,” explained Opel last March without giving additional details.
The future looks grim for the Oshawa plant. Camaro production will shift to Lansing, Michigan, when a new model is introduced next year, Impala production could be entirely moved to Hamtramck and the XTS’ future is up in the air.
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