Canadian automotive manufacturing history will be made Thursday in Las Vegas when the Project Arrow zero emissions concept car is unveiled at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show.
There have been some partial views of the fully-Canadian electric vehicle, which has been produced by the Automobile Parts Manufacturers’ Association under the leadership of President Flavio Volpe and Chief Technical Officer Colin Dhillon.
The car has been designed, engineered and built with the help of more than 40 selected partners from Canadian suppliers and post-secondary institutions.
In an interview with the Toronto Star earlier this year, Dhillon talked about the origin of Project Arrow.
“It’s an idea that Flavio and I came up with a few years ago as the world was moving towards electric vehicles,” he said. “One of my responsibilities is reading the tea leaves. We’re looking into the future around technology to make sure Canada is prepared, and one of our tealeaf-reading sessions was how can Canada attract electric vehicle assembly, technology, and growth. Rumours were coming out of Michigan about the embracing of electric vehicles three years ago, and so we said for Canada to continue the trajectory in the auto sector we need to come up with a project which helps to demonstrate Canada’s capabilities for electric vehicles and autonomous vehicle technology.”
He used the word “gobsmacking” when talking about the list of innovation that will be presented on the vehicle.
“We are so proud of the Canadian supply chain, both the traditional metal-panel beaters and injectors of plastic, but also the ‘new kids on the block’—the start-ups that are infusing electrons with digital code. I am really excited and want to make sure Canada is positioned for the next chapter of clean mobility,” said Dhillon.
“Project Arrow is a great example of Ontario ingenuity and another signal to the world that our province has everything we need to build the cars of the future from start to finish,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford. “This project is a game-changer and I want to congratulate Flavio on its incredible success. We couldn’t be more thrilled to see his vision come to light as he puts the might of Ontario’s automotive industry on full display.” The car will be on display at the Montreal Auto Show later this month and at the Canadian International AutoShow next month.
