加拿大GM 关闭250多家!

May 20, 2009 7:23am

TORONTO — More than 250 General Motors dealerships across Canada will find out today that they are being shut down, a source told The Globe and Mail last night.

Canadian dealers were told earlier this month the company could close up to 310 of its 705 dealerships nationwide. The 250 letters that will be delivered today were initially supposed to be sent out by the end of the month, Toronto news station CP24 reported.

Last Friday, GM Canada's parent company told about 1,100 U.S. dealers they would be shut down.

The report also comes as GM and the Canadian Auto Workers union try to hammer out concessions.

Traditionally, downturns in the auto sector directly hit assembly centres such as Oshawa and Windsor, Ont., and Detroit. While dealers have seen their sales shrink, they now face closings and thousands of job losses.

GM dealers employ about 33,000 people across Canada.

Marc Comeau, GM Canada's vice-president of sales and marketing, last week said the company plans to pay all the money it owes dealerships.

One dealer pointed out, however, that if he is forced to shut down and let his 60 employees go, legacy costs will be between $700,000 and $800,000.

“Who is going to pay that?” the dealer asked at the time.

GM Canada spokesman Stew Low last week said the auto maker has recently spoken with all its Canadian dealers.

“Our objective in the next few weeks is to achieve solutions that will best serve our current and future customers while also recognizing some of the unique aspects of our Canadian dealer network,” Mr. Low said.

U.S. dealers who sell less than 35 cars a year were among those notified in the first round of cuts.