Windsor-Essex is the Automobility Capital of Canada
Digital Link: https://issuu.com/perspective.ca/docs/automotive_-_final/6
Background: Windsor-Essex has transitioned from the ‘Automotive Capital of Canada’ to the ‘Automobility Capital of Canada’ and has become a North American leader in sustainable mobility and next generation vehicle production and technology development. With global mobility trends changing at a rapid rate, the region is continually evolving and looking toward future opportunities.
Invest WindsorEssex published a 2-page advertorial in Perspective, Ontario Auto: Driving Prosperity edition. This specific publication was released on May 16, 2022 and distributed internationally through the Government of Ontario’s trade offices to promote new technology and innovation in Ontario’s automotive sector.
The primary objective for this advertorial was to showcase Windsor-Essex on a global scale as the ‘Automobility Capital of Canada’ to attract foreign innovators, entrepreneurs, businesses and investors to a region that is leading the development, commercialization and adaptation of advanced manufacturing and sustainable mobility technologies.
The advertorial promotes Windsor-Essex is the ‘Automobility Capital of Canada’:
- Home to Canada’s first EV ramp-up factory – The Canadian Automobility Hub – offering resources and services to support businesses and entrepreneurs in advancing the market for electric, zero-emission and connected and automated vehicle technology.
- Home to Canada’s largest publicly accessible Virtual Reality CAVE, serving as a teaching, training and research tool for the region and beyond.
- The Windsor-Essex Regional Technology Development Site (WE RTDS) is one of seven RTDS sites in Ontario, funded by the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) and the Ontario Center for Innovation (OCI) specializing in advanced simulation, virtual reality and automotive cybersecurity.
- Home to two internationally recognized post-secondary institutions, the University of Windsor and St. Clair College and home to the Centre for Hybrid Automotive Research and Green Energy (CHARGE Labs), an internationally recognized R&D research facility.
- Future home of the Stellantis and LG Energy Solution $5-billion electric vehicle battery plant (NextStar Energy), providing an estimated 2,500 jobs and the catalyst for a rapidly growing sustainable mobility supply chain.
- Windsor-Essex is directly linked to the busiest commercial Canada-U.S. border crossing, handling approximately one third of all Canada-U.S. trade and neighbours Detroit, North America’s automotive powerhouse.
Target audience:
- Businesses and entrepreneurs (nationally and internationally) pursing the advanced market for electric, zero-emission and connected and automated vehicle technology.
- Entrepreneurs and businesses pursing virtual prototyping, resources and supports to assist with product development and research.
- Post-secondary students looking to pursue a career in the automobility and technology sector.
Effectiveness: The advertorial has been successful in generating several high-quality leads and has significantly contributed to increasing awareness of Windsor-Essex as the Automobility Capital of Canada.
Main Challenge: The automobility market is highly competitive on a global scale. To properly promote the Windsor-Essex region as an industry leader in sustainable mobility solutions and technology it was important to differentiate the region from competitors. This was achieved through identifying the region’s unique attributes (i.e. busiest commercial border crossing between Canada and the U.S., handling approximately one-third of all trade – about $1 billion per day), rich history in automotive and mobility technology, strong entrepreneurial ecosystem (i.e. Canada’s largest publicly accessible VR CAVE, Canadian Automobility Hub, Regional Technology Development Site and world-renowned mobility research facilities) and recent developments (NorthStar Energy).
