General Motors says renewal of CUSMA ‘very important’ for auto industry

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is "very important" for keeping the North American auto industry integrated, according to Jack Uppal, president and managing director of General Motors Canada. He emphasized that CUSMA shields the industry from global rivals, making it stronger.

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CUSMA protects the North American industry against other global players and “makes it stronger.”

Uppal's remarks come amid uncertainty about the trade agreement's future. U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated he may not renew the pact in its entirety, suggesting annual reviews instead of a 2042 termination date. If no extension is agreed upon, CUSMA could expire in 2036. Trump has previously expressed a preference for terminating the deal.

Despite tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, which CUSMA has largely mitigated for Canada and Mexico, GM has managed to protect its pricing. Uppal noted that the company monitors tariffs closely and focuses on customer affordability. GM finished the first half of 2026 as Canada's best-selling automaker, with significant growth in electric vehicle sales.

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All options are on the table.

"What we need to focus on really is ensuring that we keep our customer in the lens and we manage the affordability piece," Uppal said. He added that GM must "double down" on delivering value to customers to counteract geopolitical uncertainty and tariff noise. Consumers are demanding more choice, technology, and connectivity, making choice "absolutely critical."

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What we need to focus on really is ensuring that we keep our customer in the lens and we manage the affordability piece.

While Uppal believes the trade agreement uncertainty will eventually be resolved through ongoing talks, Canadian government officials express less certainty. Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc has reportedly asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamie [information cut off].

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We have to double down and really focus on ensuring that we’re delivering value across our product portfolio to our customers to dampen the noise that nobody can really change.