Magna to expand five facilities plus a new battery enclosure plant to support F-150 Lightning
Contract manufacturer Magna International shared plans to invest over $470 million to expand its existing operations across Ontario, Canada, expecting to create over 1,000 new jobs. In addition to the expansion of five of its current facilities in Canada, Magna will lease a battery enclosure plant to support the production of the Ford F-150 Lightning and future EVs from other OEMS.
Magna International is a globally recognized automotive contract manufacturer with over 130 production and assembly facilities across North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. Its Steyr plant is currently home to the assembly of the Fisker Ocean, which began production this past November.
Last fall, we covered news that Magna was investing over $500 million to expand its existing US footprint of 32 plants and 10,000 jobs operating in Michigan alone. Plans included the expansion of battery enclosure manufacturing in St. Clair, in addition to new facilities to build powertrains in Shelby Township and seating components in Detroit.
Earlier this week, we learned that Magna will be building the battery enclosures for GM’s upcoming Chevy Silverado EV in Michigan ahead of production later this year. Up North in Magna’s native Canada, the contract manufacturer is injecting millions into its existing plants to further support booming EV production.
Additionally, it will establish a new facility to build more EV battery enclosures for OEMs, beginning with its Michigan neighbor Ford and its ultrapopular F-150 Lightning pickup.
Magna to invest over $470 million in Canadian plants
The contract manufacturer shared details of how its latest massive investment in expanded production will break down, including the planned Heart Lake facility in Brampton, Ontario, as seen in the rendering above. Magna chief sales and marketing officer, Eric Wilds, spoke to the plant expansion plans and the 1,000+ jobs they will create in the coming years:
Magna’s roots in Ontario run deep, and we are excited about opening a new facility dedicated to a strategic electrification product. The Brampton facility, coupled with investment and growth in five existing Ontario facilities, allows Magna to keep up with customer demands across several product areas. We are excited to bring new business, more investment and additional jobs to Ontario.
In Canada alone, Magna International is operating 49 manufacturing plants that hum, thanks to 18,500 employees. The company said it is already hiring for various positions as it works to expand the facilities below. Here’s how the investment and expansion will break down:
- Brampton – Lease the aforementioned 490,000 square-foot facility for EV battery enclosure manufacturing. Operations to begin in Q2, 2023 with approximately 560 new jobs expected when the site reaches full production.
- Guelph – Add e-coat, molding, and welding capacity to existing exteriors plant to further support new EV production. Expansion will total 120,000 square feet and will create about 175 new jobs. Production is expected to begin in Q2, 2023.
- Belleville – Magna will add roughly 100 jobs to its lighting plant by bolstering printed circuit board assembly capabilities. Operations planned to begin in Q4, 2023.
- Newmarket – Grow its mechatronics business (side door latches, electronic control units, and power systems), expected to create about 75 new jobs.
- Windsor – Magna’s other mechatronics plant is in the process of adding powered aluminum tonneau cover manufacturing and plans to add approximately 110 new jobs.
- Penetanguishene: Expand tailgate hinge production with over 15 new jobs planned.
As you can see, some of Magna’s plant expansions are already underway, and all are expected to be complete before the end of 2023. Canada’s minister of economic development, job creation, and trade, Vic Fedeli, welcomed Magna’s latest investment in the country and the new careers it will support:
This game-changing investment by Magna will create hundreds of new jobs across the province, while further strengthening Ontario’s end-to-end automotive supply chain. We’re creating the right conditions for businesses to succeed and continue to work around the clock to attract new investments that build a stronger economy.
With these expansions in the US and Canada, Magna remains the largest contract manufacturer on the continent and one of the biggest around the globe.
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After a month off trying to wrap our heads around all the chaos surrounding EVs, solar, and everything else in Washington, we’re back with the biggest EV news stories of the day from Tesla, Ford, Volvo, and everyone else on today’s hiatus-busting episode of Quick Charge!
It just gets worse and worse for the Tesla true believers – especially those willing to put their money where Elon’s mouth is! One believer is set to lose nearly $50,000 betting on Tesla’s ability to deliver a Robotaxi service by the end of June (didn’t happen), and the controversial CEO’s most recent spat with President Trump had TSLA down nearly 5% in pre-morning trading.
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Hyundai is getting ready to shake things up. A new electric crossover SUV, likely the Hyundai IONIQ 2, is set to debut in the coming months. It will sit below the Kona Electric as Hyundai expands its entry-level EV lineup.
Is Hyundai launching the IONIQ 2 in 2026?
After launching the Inster late last year, Hyundai is already preparing to introduce a new entry-level EV in Europe.
Xavier Martinet, President and CEO of Hyundai Europe, confirmed that the new EV will be revealed “in the next few months.” It will be built in Europe and scheduled to go on sale in mid-2026.
Hyundai’s new electric crossover is expected to be a twin to the Kia EV2, which will likely arrive just ahead of it next year.
It will be underpinned by the same E-GMP platform, which powers all IONIQ and Kia EV models (EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, and EV9).
Like the Kia EV3, it will likely be available with either a 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh battery pack option. The former provides a WLTP range of 267 miles while the latter is rated with up to 372 miles. All trims are powered by a single electric motor at the front, producing 201 hp and 209 lb-ft of torque.
Although it may share the same underpinnings as the EV2, Hyundai’s new entry-level EV will feature an advanced new software and infotainment system.
According to Autocar, the interior will represent a “step change” in terms of usability and features. The new system enables new functions, such as ambient lighting and sounds that adjust depending on the drive mode.
It’s expected to showcase Hyundai’s powerful new Pleos software and infotainment system. As an end-to-end software platform, Pleos connects everything from the infotainment system (Pleos Connect) to the Vehicle Operating System (OS) and the cloud.
Pleos is set to power Hyundai’s upcoming software-defined vehicles (SDVs) with new features like autonomous driving and real-time data analysis.
As an Android-based system, Pleos Connect features a “smartphone-like UI” with new functions including multi-window viewing and an AI voice assistant.
The new electric crossover is expected to start at around €30,000 ($35,400), or slightly less than the Kia EV3, priced from €35,990 ($42,500). It will sit between the Inster and Kona Electric in Hyundai’s lineup.
Hyundai said that it would launch the first EV with its next-gen infotainment system in Q2 2026. Will it be the IONIQ 2? Hyundai is expected to unveil the new entry-level EV at IAA Mobility in September. Stay tuned for more info. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
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Tesla has unveiled its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cell factory in Nevada and claims that it is nearly ready to start production.
Like several other automakers using LFP cells, Tesla relies heavily on Chinese manufacturers for its battery cell supply.
Tesla’s cheapest electric vehicles all utilize LFP cells, and its entire range of energy storage products, Megapacks and Powerwalls, also employ the more affordable LFP cell chemistry from Chinese manufacturers.
This reliance on Chinese manufacturers is less than ideal and particularly complicated for US automakers and battery pack manufacturers like Tesla, amid an ongoing trade war between the US and virtually the entire world, including China.
As of last year, a 25% tariff already applied to battery cells from China, but this increased to more than 80% under Trump before he paused some tariffs on China. It remains unclear where they will end up by the time negotiations are complete and the trade war is resolved, but many expect it to be higher.
Prior to Trump taking power, Tesla had already planned to build a small LFP battery factory in the US to avoid the 25% tariffs.
The automaker had secured older manufacturing equipment from one of its battery cell suppliers, CATL, and planned to deploy it in the US for small-scale production.
Tesla has now released new images of the factory in Nevada and claimed that it is “nearing completion”:
Here are a few images from inside the factory (via Tesla):
Previous reporting stated that Tesla aims to produce about 10 GWh of LFP battery cells per year at the new factory.
The cells are expected to be used in Tesla’s Megapack, produced in the US. Tesla currently has a capacity to produce 40 GWh of Megapacks annually at its factory in California. The company is also working on a new Megapack factory in Texas.
Ford is also developing its own LFP battery cell factory in Michigan, but this facility is significantly larger, with a planned production capacity of 35 GWh.
Electrek’s Take
It’s nice to see this in the US. LFP was a US/Canada invention, with Arumugam Manthiram and John B. Goodenough doing much of the early work, and researchers in Quebec making several contributions to help with commercialization.
But China saw the potential early and invested heavily in volume manufacturing of LFP cells and it now dominates the market.
Tesla is now producing most of its vehicles with LFP cells and all its stationary energy storage products.
It makes sense to invest in your own production. However, Tesla is unlikely to catch up to BYD and CATL, which dominate LFP cell production.
The move will help Tesla avoid tariffs on a small percentage of its Megapacks produced in the US. Ford’s effort is more ambitious.
It’s worth noting that both Ford’s and Tesla’s LFP plants were planned before Trump’s tariffs, which have had limited success in bringing manufacturing back to the US.
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