TORONTO, Canada — The Ontario government, on Tuesday, concluded a successful virtual mission to Japan and South Korea that showcased the “Ontario Made” advantage in both automotive manufacturing and leading-edge technology.
“The mission was a fantastic opportunity to connect with our friends and partners across Japan and South Korea and build upon our extensive track record of industrial collaboration and technology partnership,” said Vic Fedeli, minister of economic development, job creation and trade. “Ontario is the economic engine of Canada, and our ‘Team Ontario’ approach puts our province front and centre for any company seeking to excel in North America as a leader in manufacturing, zero-emissions vehicles, and advanced technologies.”
Highlights of the mission included:
- A delegation of eight Ontario autotech companies showcased their pioneering technologies at the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan (JSAE) conference, which attracts decision-makers from the global auto industry. The province helped to coordinate business-to-business meetings for the delegate companies, in addition to providing exhibitor space in the virtual Ontario pavilion and market intelligence.
- Minister Fedeli delivered keynote presentations at two major events focussing on the global auto industry’s transition to zero-emissions: EV Trend Korea/Interbattery Exhibition 2021 and the Japan auto industry webinar organized by the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. Ontario representation at these events was organized by Ontario’s Trade and Investment Offices in Seoul and Tokyo, respectively.
- The minister also met with executives in the automotive, artificial intelligence and technology sectors to highlight Ontario’s strengths as an innovation and growth partner and investment location at the heart of North American markets.
Ontario is uniquely positioned to be a North American hub for developing and building the car of the future:
- Second-ranking auto producer in North America (after Michigan)
- Second-ranking IT cluster in North America (after California)
- An abundance of the critical minerals essential to electric vehicle batteries
- Largest cleantech cluster in Canada.
Recently announced investments of almost $6 billion in Ontario assembly operations include $4 billion in transformative investments in electric vehicle production.
“Ontario’s unique strengths as a manufacturing hub for electric vehicles and EV batteries, combined with the increased regional content requirements of NAFTA 2.0, make Ontario a value-added destination for automotive and technology investment,” said minister Fedeli. “With our new Invest Ontario agency, the welcome mat is truly out for companies to quickly become fully integrated into one of the world’s most skilled and dynamic economies.”
