GM halts BrightDrop production at CAMI assembly
GM stated that BrightDrop production will not be relocated to another site. Production at CAMI had already been suspended since May 2025, along with battery assembly, as the plant was operating below capacity. Production was supposed to restart this month.
On top of the demand for commercial electric delivery vans developing more slowly than anticipated, GM cited changing regulatory conditions and the removal of tax credits in the United States as contributing factors. When first putting BrightDrop van production on ice in May, the manufacturer denied that it had anything to do with tariffs or other political changes. Instead, the “adjustment” was supposedly “directly related to responding to market demand and re-balancing inventory.”
GM Canada employs over 7,000 people across manufacturing, technical, and corporate operations. The company highlighted that support from the Canadian and Ontario governments had enabled investments in the plant and that the company intends to engage with partners to explore future opportunities. Moreover, GM will follow collective agreement provisions with Canadian labour union Unifor, offering hourly employees six months of salary and potential lump-sum payments and benefits.
The Oshawa Assembly continues to produce both light- and heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado pickups, while the St. Catharines Propulsion Plant builds engines for high-demand pickups and SUVs.
“The decision to end production of the BrightDrop electric delivery van is driven by market demand and in no way reflects the commitment and skill of our workforce at CAMI,” said Kristian Aquilina, president and managing director of GM Canada. “Our Canadian operations continue to be a critical part of GM and our North America business. […] For more than 100 years, GM has been designing, engineering and building vehicles in Canada and we intend to keep doing so.”
The battery assembly plant in Ingersoll, which opened in the summer of 2023, was said at the time to produce batteries not only for BrightDrop production on site, but also for other GM plants in North America that manufacture electric vehicles based on the Ultium platform. These battery packs will be affected by US import duties in future if they are transported to the USA. CAMI Assembly’s future will thus be assessed in the context of broader adjustments to GM’s North American EV capacity.
General Motors founded BrightDrop in 2021 as a brand for electric vans. BrightDrop initially operated as an independent subsidiary, but was initially incorporated into the Group’s fleet business in 2023 and integrated into the Chevrolet brand in 2024. In view of the growing online trade and the associated last-mile logistics, GM had high expectations for the electric delivery vehicle business.
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