Driven by Tomorrow: GM looks toward the future of mobility at the Calgary Stampede
2025-07-15
For more than a century, Canadians have gathered at the annual Calgary Stampede, a rodeo, festival, agricultural and cultural expo rolled into one. Most years the 10-day event in Calgary, Alberta draws well over a million visitors, and the 2025 edition was no exception.
General Motors continues to have a major presence at the Stampede – the company has been a sponsor for nearly four decades. The Stampede holds major events at GMC Stadium, named for GM’s iconic truck and SUV brand. GM also used this year’s event to showcase both electric and gas-powered vehicles.
In addition, GM Canada this year hosted a thought leadership panel at the Stampede called “Driven by Tomorrow,” which explored how AI, electrification, and smart mobility are reshaping transportation and the global economy.
Caption: GM Canada President Kristian Aquilina on stage at the 2025 Calgary Stampede.
“GM Canada is not just keeping pace with change, we’re leading it,” Kristian Aquilina, president and managing director, GM Canada, said at the event. “From EV leadership to smart manufacturing and tech innovation, we’re building the future of mobility right here at home.”
A collaboration with The Logic, a Canadian business and tech news site, the panel featured leaders from the automotive, robotics, energy, and academic sectors. Moderated by Davidd Skok, editor-in-Chief of The Logic, the discussion focused on how new technologies are disrupting traditional industries.
In addition to Aquilina, the panelists included Dr. Heather Exner-Pirot, senior fellow and director of natural resources, energy, and environment, at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Ottawa; Raghavender Sahdev, founder and CEO of NuPort Robotics, a Canadian autonomous trucking company; and Dr. Lina Kattan, professor of transportation engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering and the University of Calgary.
Caption: (From left to right) David Skok, CEO & Editor-in-Chief, The Logic; Dr. Heather Exner-Pirot, Director, Energy, Natural Resources & Environment, Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Raghavender Sahdev, Founder & CEO, NuPort Robotics, Dr. Lina Kattan, Canada Research Chair & Professor, University of Calgary, and Kristian Aquilina, President & Managing Director, GM Canada.
In his remarks, Aquilina emphasized Canada’s strategic strengths in critical minerals to a growing tech workforce. “Canada has all the right pieces,” he said. “Now we need bold public-private partnerships and agile policy to unlock the auto sector’s full potential as a driver of economic growth.”
Added Aquilina: “We’re transforming faster than the industry, because that’s what our customers, the economy, and our future demand.”
A Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD outside the convention center in Calgary, Alberta.
For more than a century, Canadians have gathered at the annual Calgary Stampede, a rodeo, festival, agricultural and cultural expo rolled into one. Most years the 10-day event in Calgary, Alberta draws well over a million visitors, and the 2025 edition was no exception.
General Motors continues to have a major presence at the Stampede – the company has been a sponsor for nearly four decades. The Stampede holds major events at GMC Stadium, named for GM’s iconic truck and SUV brand. GM also used this year’s event to showcase both electric and gas-powered vehicles.
In addition, GM Canada this year hosted a thought leadership panel at the Stampede called “Driven by Tomorrow,” which explored how AI, electrification, and smart mobility are reshaping transportation and the global economy.
GM Canada President Kristian Aquilina speaking on stage at the 2025 Calgary Stampede.
“GM Canada is not just keeping pace with change, we’re leading it,” Kristian Aquilina, president and managing director, GM Canada, said at the event. “From EV leadership to smart manufacturing and tech innovation, we’re building the future of mobility right here at home.”
A collaboration with The Logic, a Canadian business and tech news site, the panel featured leaders from the automotive, robotics, energy, and academic sectors. Moderated by Davidd Skok, editor-in-Chief of The Logic, the discussion focused on how new technologies are disrupting traditional industries.
In addition to Aquilina, the panelists included Dr. Heather Exner-Pirot, senior fellow and director of natural resources, energy, and environment, at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Ottawa; Raghavender Sahdev, founder and CEO of NuPort Robotics, a Canadian autonomous trucking company; and Dr. Lina Kattan, professor of transportation engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering and the University of Calgary.
(From left to right) David Skok, CEO & Editor-in-Chief, The Logic; Dr. Heather Exner-Pirot, Director, Energy, Natural Resources & Environment, Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Raghavender Sahdev, Founder & CEO, NuPort Robotics, Dr. Lina Kattan, Canada Research Chair & Professor, University of Calgary, and Kristian Aquilina, President & Managing Director, GM Canada.
In his remarks, Aquilina emphasized Canada’s strategic strengths, from critical minerals to a growing tech workforce. “Canada has all the right pieces,” he said. “Now we need bold public-private partnerships and agile policy to unlock the auto sector’s full potential as a driver of economic growth.”
Added Aquilina: “We’re transforming faster than the industry, because that’s what our customers, the economy, and our future demand.”
