OSHAWA, Ont. — General Motors has announced plans to expand research into self-driving vehicles and open a new software centre in Markham, Ont., later this year.

Under the initiative, the automaker would create more than 700 new engineering jobs over the next few years.

“We selected Canada for this expansion because of its clear capacity for innovation, proven talent and strong ecosystem of great universities, startups and innovative suppliers," GM Executive Vice-President Mark Reuss said in a statement.

"With this expansion, GM Canada will play an important role in our evolution toward vehicles that are connected, autonomous, shared and electric.”