The Brampton Assembly Plant is a former automobile manufacturing facility initially owned and operated by American Motors Corporation (AMC) in Brampton, Ontario. The factory began production in 1962, making over 1.2 million AMC and Jeep vehicles through the automaker's acquisition by Chrysler in 1987, until it was closed in 1992.

Chrysler sold the factory to Wal-Mart for use as a warehouse. The buildings were eventually demolished in the 2000s when the site was redeveloped into a power centre that includes a Lowe's Home Improvement store.

History The factory was built at the corner of Steeles Avenue and Kennedy Road for American Motors Canada, Inc., which relocated operations from the old Danforth assembly plant (now Shoppers World Danforth) - which also previously served as the Canadian production site of the Ford Model T and Model A - to Peel-Elder's new "Peel Village" neighborhood in Brampton. The facility produced its first Rambler Classic on 26 January 1961.

The facility was composed of an assembly plant, parts warehouse, and engine plant, with an annual capacity of over 50,000 vehicles while employing 1,100 hourly and 500 salaried workers. The Rambler Classic was built on a line speed of 32 cars per shift. The facility was soon producing 33,000 cars annually in Canada. This assembly plant produced Rambler Americans, AMC Rebels, and later, Hornets, Concords, Gremlins, Spirits, and Eagles.

A long rail spur was built south from Canadian National Railway's busy Halton Sub mainline to service the plant. Peel had a yard, storage and runaround tracks used for storing autoracks and auto parts cars that needed by the factory and other local industries. New automobiles were loaded onto the autoracks with ramps for rail shipment at the plant.

With minimal Canadian production before 1965, American Motors was in the best position of the U.S. automakers to take advantage of the Canada–United States Automotive Products Agreement.Anastakis, p. 128. This plant also allowed AMC to export cars within Commonwealth countries at a favorable tariff rate, making AMC the number one U.S. nameplate in markets such as Trinidad and Jamaica in the 1960s. The assembly of Ambassador models was moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin while production of Ramblers and Rebels increased. By 1969, the output of AMC's Brampton operation was destined for the eastern half of the continent, while Kenosha supplied the western regions.Anastakis, pp. 128–129.

In 1977, AMC hired the first female assembly worker, Cecilia Palmer, who became Canadian Auto Workers Local 1285's first sister. The organization is now named Unifor Local 1285.

Passenger car assembly was moved from Brampton to Kenosha in 1978, and this allowed AMC to expand production of its popular Jeep CJ-5 and CJ-7 models.

As Renault increased control of AMC since 1979, the future of the old Brampton facility was in jeopardy by 1982. Renault's strategic business plan was to limit production of AMC cars to Kenosha and Jeeps to Toledo as part of efforts to gain economies of scale. Moreover, local production was no longer a prerequisite for duty-free access into the Canadian market as long as the car's Canadian-sourced parts content met a minimum ratio to the total value of its sales in Canada.

Discussions to possibly utilize the assembly plant's capacity with Nissan ended in 1986, while at the time, AMC's president, Jose Dedeurwaerder, a former Renault executive, made an "ominous" statement that the automaker was openly looking for a partner.

In 1987, with the Chrysler buyout, AMC's Canadian division and its plants (Brampton and Bramalea) were absorbed into Chrysler, becoming part of Chrysler Canada Limited. At the time of Chrysler's purchase, the combined full production capacity of the four AMC assembly plants (Brampton, Kenosha, Toledo, and the brand-new Bramalea Assembly in Brampton) had a combined annual total production capacity of around 700,000 vehicles. This meant overcapacity for Chrysler, and AMC's old Kenosha and Toledo factories were at the top of Chrysler's closure list. During 1987, assembly of the legacy AMC Eagle cars ended while production of the new Jeep Wrangler (YJ) model was moved from Jeep's historic Toledo factory. Although the CJ was assembled in many other countries, this was the only time the manufacture of the CJ or Wrangler vehicles was centered outside the U.S.

The workers in Toledo agreed to concessions to keep the Ohio factory open, but by 1990, they were also pitted against those at Brampton Assembly. Additional concessions by the Toledo employees were critical for Chrysler in deciding to close the original Brampton facility. The old Brampton factory continued building the Wrangler through the 1992 model year after which the facility was shut and the Jeeps were assembled in Toledo.

With this transfer and closure, AMC's new Bramalea Assembly plant (that was built in 1986) was renamed the Brampton Assembly and began producing the new large Chrysler LH platform models (Chrysler Concorde, Dodge Intrepid, and Eagle Vision). These were followed by the Chrysler LHS and New Yorker as well as the 1999 model year 300M.

Legacy The original Brampton AMC factory was closed on 4 April 1992. The property was sold to Wal-Mart for use as one of their Canadian warehouses. The remains of the plant's west buildings were torn down in 2005, and the land was redeveloped for commercial/retail use. Among the buildings on the site is a Lowe's home improvement store that opened on 10 December 2007, as one of the first three to be established by the retail chain in Canada. The old factory's east building was demolished in 2007, and a Walmart Supercentre now occupies the site along with a warehouse.

Rambler Drive, a street to the west of the plant leading into the Peel Village neighborhood off Kennedy, serves as a reminder of AMC's former presence in the area.

Annual production American Motors' original Brampton production and products for model years (MY) from 1961 through 1992:

+ Year Model Units MY totals 1961 Rambler Classic 4,168 4,168 1962 Rambler American 5,050 Rambler Classic 12,297 17,347 1963 Rambler American 5,308 Rambler Classic 18,941 Rambler Ambassador 3,242 27,491 1964 Rambler American 11,860 Rambler Classic 19,247 Rambler Ambassador 1,877 32,984 1965 Rambler American 9,391 Rambler Classic 18,264 Rambler Ambassador 6,893 34,548 1966 Rambler American 9,314 Rambler Classic 11,606 AMC Ambassador 7,852 28,772 1967 Rambler American 5,434 AMC Rebel 15,836 AMC Ambassador 10,125 31,395 1968 Rambler American 25,296 AMC Rebel 9,718 AMC Ambassador 6,413 41,427 1969 American 24,185 AMC Rebel 15,529 38,714 1970 AMC Hornet 36,408 AMC Gremlin 3,260 AMC Rebel 3,581 43,249 1971 AMC Hornet 17,666 AMC Gremlin 23,428 41,094 1972 AMC Hornet 18,650 AMC Gremlin 33,091 57,741 1973 AMC Hornet 32,331 AMC Gremlin 37,663 69,994 1974 AMC Hornet 43,150 AMC Gremlin 39,223 82,373 1975 AMC Hornet 21,848 AMC Gremlin 10,163 32,011 1976 AMC Hornet 35,204 AMC Gremlin 14,422 49,626 1977 AMC Hornet 21,218 AMC Gremlin 19,166 40,284 1978 AMC Concord 41,017 AMC Gremlin 4,211 45,228 1979 Jeep CJ-5 20,913 Jeep CJ-7 30,684 51,597 1980 Jeep CJ-5 12,050 Jeep CJ-7 17,993 30,043 1981 AMC Concord 10,441 AMC Eagle 10,347 20,788 1982 AMC Concord 10,117 AMC Eagle 20,900 31,017 1983 AMC Concord 14,277 AMC Spirit 1,689 AMC Eagle 10,424 AMC Eagle SX/4 5,398 31,788 1984 AMC Eagle 25,535 AMC Eagle SX/4 1 25,536 1985 AMC Eagle 16,866 16,866 1986 AMC Eagle 8,217 8,217 1987 AMC Eagle 4,996 Jeep Wrangler 44,517 49,513 1988 Eagle Wagon * 2,305 Jeep Wrangler 46,130 48,435 1989 Jeep Wrangler 71,025 71,025 1990 Jeep Wrangler 57,451 57,451 1991 Jeep Wrangler 57,241 57,241 1992 Jeep Wrangler 82,015 82,015 1961-1992 Production total 1,280,078

* Note: the final AMC branded car (not Jeep), a 1988 AMC Eagle, was built on 11 December 1987, and shipped from Brampton on 15 December to a dealer in the U.S.

References