Manufacturer catalog

General Motors Canada

General Motors Canada was the Canadian General Motors operation behind the London, Ontario GM Diesel and GM Defense armored-vehicle business that produced Canadian LAV-family vehicles before the defense business was sold to General Dynamics in 2003.

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The defense-manufacturing relevance of General Motors Canada centers on the London, Ontario operation that developed and produced wheeled armored vehicles under GM Diesel and GM Defense names. Public LAV III history records a 1994 General Motors contract for 651 Canadian LAV III vehicles, while contemporary transaction reporting described GM Defense as a London-headquartered producer of wheeled armoured vehicles, including Stryker vehicles through a joint venture with General Dynamics.

General Dynamics later purchased General Motors Defense in 2003, and the same London industrial base is now associated with General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada. That successor context matters for LAV-family records because older systems may be sourced to General Motors Canada, General Motors Defense, or GM Diesel, while later upgrade and support work is normally sourced to General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada.

Wheeled armored vehiclesLAV-family vehicle productionDefense vehicle manufacturing through former GM Diesel and GM Defense operations

Notable Systems

LAV III, 8x8 infantry fighting vehicle, Armored Vehicles

LAV III

8x8 infantry fighting vehicle

Canadian third-generation 8x8 LAV family vehicle. The LAV III Living Monument records that General Motors received the 1994 contract for 651 LAV III vehicles, and General Dynamics' current LAV page identifies LAV III as the basis for the Stryker family.

Sources: LAV III Living Monument evolution, General Dynamics LAV family
LAV-AT, Light armored anti-tank vehicle, Armored Vehicles

LAV-AT

Light armored anti-tank vehicle

Anti-tank member of the Canadian-built LAV family used by the U.S. Marine Corps. The profile links it here because catalog sources identify the LAV-AT as a Canadian-built LAV variant tied to the same General Motors Canada production lineage.

Sources: Lexpert GM Defense transaction, GM Defense legacy overview

Manufacturer History

  1. Canadian LAV III contract awarded

    The LAV III Living Monument records that General Motors received a contract for 651 LAV III vehicles in four variants, placing the Canadian GM armored-vehicle operation at the center of the original LAV III production program.

    Sources: LAV III Living Monument evolution

  2. GM Defense sold to General Dynamics

    Lexpert reported that General Dynamics acquired General Motors Corporation's GM Defense business, other than GM's Military Trucks division, and described GM Defense as a London, Ontario producer of wheeled armoured vehicles.

    Sources: Lexpert GM Defense transaction, General Dynamics history

  3. Successor LAV III upgrade contract awarded

    Canada awarded General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada of London, Ontario a sole-source contract to upgrade 550 LAV III vehicles, illustrating how the former GM armored-vehicle industrial base continued under the General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada successor.

    Sources: Canada LAV III Upgrade project

Predecessors
General Motors Diesel Division
Successors
General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada
Website links
General Motors CanadaGM Defense legacy overviewGeneral Dynamics Land Systems-Canada

This profile covers the Canadian General Motors armored-vehicle attribution used on LAV-family records, especially the former GM Diesel and GM Defense operation in London, Ontario. Present-day General Motors Canada is an automotive subsidiary, present-day GM Defense is a separate GM defense subsidiary, and the former London GM Defense armored-vehicle business passed to General Dynamics in 2003.

Manufacturer Sources

  • LAV III Living Monument evolutionPublisher: LAV III Living Monument | Note: Supports the LAV III development narrative and the 1994 General Motors contract for 651 Canadian LAV III vehicles. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Lexpert GM Defense transactionPublisher: Lexpert | Note: Supports the March 1, 2003 General Dynamics acquisition, London headquarters context for GM Defense, and wheeled armoured vehicle production scope. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • General Dynamics historyPublisher: General Dynamics | Note: Official General Dynamics history listing its 2003 purchase of General Motors Defense. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • GM Defense legacy overviewPublisher: GM Defense | Note: Official GM Defense overview supporting General Motors defense-business history, the early-1990s General Motors Defense Group, the Stryker/LAV partnership, and the 2003 sale to General Dynamics. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Canada LAV III Upgrade projectPublisher: Government of Canada | Note: Supports successor General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada role as London-based LAV III original equipment manufacturer and LAV III upgrade contractor. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • General Dynamics LAV familyPublisher: General Dynamics Land Systems | Note: Supports current LAV-family context, including LAV III, LAV 6.0, and ACSV family descriptions. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • General Motors CanadaPublisher: General Motors Canada | Note: Official General Motors Canada website used for the current public website link. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Armored Vehicles

Troop carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and protected mobility.

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LAV III, 8x8 infantry fighting vehicle, Armored Vehicles2001 War in Afghanistan, 2014 Russia-Ukraine WarLAV III8x8 infantry fighting vehicleBuilt in: CanadaThe LAV III is Canada's third-generation 8x8 Light Armoured Vehicle, developed from the MOWAG Piranha III into an infantry fighting vehicle with a two-man 25 mm turret and protected mobility for mechanized infantry. It became a central Canadian Army platform in Afghanistan, generated New Zealand's NZLAV branch, and Canada later announced LAV-III vehicles for Ukraine during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.