The BrightDrop Zevo 600 started manufacturing final week on the CAMI plant, which hosted an occasion with GM President Mark Reuss, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario provincial officers and Unifor leaders. GM invested near $800 million to retool CAMI, which beforehand constructed the gasoline-powered Chevrolet Equinox.
Manufacturing of the smaller Zevo 400 will start within the fourth quarter of subsequent yr, Hornyak mentioned.
Final yr, BrightDrop began low-volume manufacturing of the Zevo 600 in Michigan whereas retooling the CAMI plant. Reuss final week known as BrightDrop “the quickest product launch in our historical past, from idea to commercialization in lower than two years.”
The model lately expanded its buyer base into Canada, signing logistics firm DHL Categorical Canada to make use of Zevo vans in its fleet beginning early in 2023. Hornyak informed Automotive Information “there’s market pull exterior of North America,” however BrightDrop is concentrated on this market initially.
It hasn’t named extra U.S. dealerships past its first, BrightDrop Higher Los Angeles, in Fontana, Calif. The shop is owned by Chevrolet-Buick-GMC seller Mike Caposio. Extra dealerships will comply with demand, primarily based on the place BrightDrop clients select to deploy the vans, Hornyak mentioned.