Major automotive companies

General Motors (GM):

  • The largest car manufacturer in North America, holding 18.5% of all cars produced in 2024.
  • Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, and operates extensive manufacturing, design and R&D facilities across the US, with additional plants in Mexico and Canada .

Ford Motor Company:

  • Another top player, producing a wide variety of vehicles.
  • Manufactures vehicles in multiple US states as well as Canada and Mexico.
  • As of July 2024, Ford announced it will assemble its F-Series Super Duty pickups at the Oakville Assembly Complex in Ontario, Canada, beginning in 2026.

Toyota and Honda:

  • Both have substantial manufacturing operations in North America, contributing to a combined market share with GM and Ford of over 52%.
  • They have large US and Mexican plants and are expanding into electric vehicle (EV) production.

Volkswagen and PACCAR:

  • Volkswagen maintains production facilities and significant market activity in the US and Mexico.
  • PACCAR specialises in commercial trucks and operates plants and parts distribution centres throughout the US, Canada and Mexico.

Rising EV players:

  • Lucid Motors, Rivian and Tesla have developed or are developing EV-specific assembly lines in states like Georgia, Nevada and Tennessee.
  • Several have formed local supply partnerships for batteries, such as those between automakers and LG Energy Solution or Panasonic.

Other Notable Manufacturers:

  • Daymak, ElectraMeccanica and Fisker are examples of startup or niche players in North America’s EV and specialty vehicle segments.

Locations of key manufacturing facilities

United States:

  • Detroit, Michigan, remains the central hub, home to GM, Ford and suppliers.
  • The Midwest generally (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky), Southern states (Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi) and new hotspots in the Southeast (Georgia for Rivian, Tennessee for Nissan, Volkswagen and Ford’s EV lines).
  • California and Nevada for Tesla’s manufacturing and battery production.

Mexico:

  • Plants primarily located in northern states (Nuevo León, Coahuila, Guanajuato), with most major global brands (including GM, Ford, VW, Nissan and Honda) operating assembly lines.
  • Lower labour costs and proximity to the US market make Mexico crucial for both local and export-focused production.

Canada:

  • Ontario has numerous vehicle and parts manufacturing plants, with American and Japanese brands operating major assembly and R&D facilities.
  • The Oakville Assembly Complex (Ford), Oshawa Assembly (GM) and Toyota and Honda plants are key facilities.

What are the emerging trends in electric vehicle manufacturing across North America?

Rapid expansion and fierce competition

  • The North American EV market is experiencing heightened rivalry as both legacy automakers (GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda) and new entrants (Tesla, Lucid Motors, Rivian) intensify their investments and innovation efforts. Government incentives – from both US and Canadian administrations – have boosted EV adoption, making it easier for startups and established firms to enter the market and introduce new models.

Major investments in facilities and supply chains

  • Automakers are establishing new, EVspecific assembly lines across states like Georgia, Nevada, Indiana and Tennessee. There’s a surge in partnerships with battery manufacturers (like GM’s Ultium with LG Energy Solution, Tesla’s in-house battery cell production) as companies aim to localise critical supply chains and decrease dependence on Asian imports.
  • Honda, for example, announced a $15bn investment in Ontario, Canada, to build a comprehensive EV supply chain and new assembly and battery plants.

Supply chain localisation and backward integration

  • To secure critical inputs (lithium, cobalt and semiconductors), manufacturers are investing directly in mining, materials processing and battery production. Companies like Tesla and GM are developing proprietary battery technologies and software, and are investing in direct mining rights, to reduce supply risk and improve control over key technologies.

Technology and ecosystem partnerships

  • Innovations aren’t limited to vehicles. Collaborations, such as Ford and Google (Android Auto integration), are enhancing software, connectivity, route planning, battery management and charging access – making the EV experience seamless for consumers.
  • Manufacturers are designing flexible production systems that allow simultaneous assembly of internal combustion, hybrid and pure EV models (for example, Honda’s Marysville facility).

Consumer demand and model diversity

  • EV adoption has been spurred by high fuel prices, improved battery technologies and government policy and investment. The North American market now features a broader range of models, including hybrids, BEVs and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), tailored to different price points and consumer needs.
  • Legacy and new players alike are racing to expand their EV portfolios, making competition even fiercer.

Infrastructure and support systems

  • Charging infrastructure is expanding rapidly. Leading networks include ChargePoint, Tesla Superchargers, EVgo and Canadian provider FLO.
  • Vehicle software and autonomous features increasingly rely on partnerships with tech companies (Nvidia, Waymo, BlackBerry QNX) to support advancements in vehicle intelligence and driver assistance.

Policy and regulatory drivers

  • Substantial federal and state investments, like the US Inflation Reduction Act and Canada’s incentive programmes, continue to lower operational costs and accelerate the transition to electrified transportation. These policies are crucial for expanding manufacturing capacity, charging networks, and supply chains.
Increased automotive production will inevitably lead to increased opportunity for the overhead crane and hoist sector.

The heavy-duty uplift

As the aforementioned billions of dollars in investment pour into new facilities across the “Battery Belt” and Mexico’s manufacturing corridors, an often-overlooked beneficiary is the overhead crane and hoist sector.

The physical reality of automotive production is one of immense weight and uncompromising precision. Every increase in vehicle production capacity translates directly into a higher demand for heavy-duty lifting equipment. In the modern factory, overhead cranes are not just peripheral tools; they are the literal backbone of the assembly process, essential for the movement of massive stamping dies, chassis and complete vehicle bodies.

The shift toward larger, more complex vehicles – particularly the heavy-duty pickups and SUVs that dominate the North American market – requires lifting solutions capable of moving heavy frames with millimetre-level accuracy. For manufacturers like GM and Ford, whose production lines are operating at nearmaximum capacity, any downtime caused by equipment failure is measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour. This has led to a surge in demand for high-reliability “smart” cranes that feature integrated sensors and predictive maintenance capabilities. By aligning with the industry’s wider digital transformation, crane OEMs are now providing equipment that can self-diagnose wear and tear, ensuring that the assembly line never stops.

Precision in the battery age

The transition to electrification introduces a specific set of challenges that play right into the hands of specialised hoist manufacturers. EV battery packs are incredibly heavy – often weighing between 400–700kg – and contain sensitive chemical components that cannot withstand the jolts or sways common in older lifting systems. This has necessitated a move toward high-precision wire rope hoists and electric chain hoists equipped with anti-sway technology and variable speed drives. In the highstakes environment of a battery assembly plant, the cost of a dropped or damaged component is astronomical, making the “safety first” engineering of modern hoists a primary choice for North American facilities.

Furthermore, the construction of “gigafactories” represents a goldmine for the lifting sector. These facilities require extensive overhead infrastructure to move massive quantities of raw materials and finished battery modules through hazardous, temperaturecontrolled environments. In these settings, cranes must meet stringent safety and environmental standards, often requiring specialised coatings or explosion-proof housings. As the North American automotive sector moves toward its $1,252.5bn valuation, the manufacturers of gantry cranes, workstation jibs and automated hoists find themselves in the middle of a historic procurement cycle.

Beyond the initial installation, the sheer scale of these new plants is creating a secondary boom in the service and aftermarket sector. With thousands of lifting points across a single site, the demand for statutory inspections, load testing and spare parts is reaching record levels. The integration of lifting equipment into “Industry 4.0” networks means that crane companies are no longer just selling hardware; they are selling data and uptime.

As automakers invest $100bn or more into new EV platforms, they are simultaneously locking in long-term maintenance contracts with lifting specialists to ensure their capital-intensive assets remain operational. From the stamping dies that require 50-tonne lifts to the delicate robotic cells requiring synchronised hoists, the automotive industrial renaissance is, quite literally, lifting the entire material handling sector to new heights.