GM’s CAMI Assembly Hastens BrightDrop EV600 Production

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GM’s CAMI Assembly Accelerates BrightDrop EV600 Production

CAMI-based BrightDrop production move to two shifts in 2023.

Today, General Motors announced the accelerated timeline for plant conversion and production of the BrightDrop* electric EV600 light commercial vehicle at CAMI Assembly in Ingersoll, ON. Working with suppliers in the United States, BrightDrop as announced will start initial production of EV600s later this year. Now, during April 2022, Chevrolet Equinox production will end at CAMI and the BrightDrop equipment will be moved to Ingersoll, reducing the time required for plant changeover. GM says it expects to handle what is currently high demand for Equinox with other plants as CAMI retools for BrightDrop production.

CAMI is Canada’s first large-scale auto plant converting to produce electric delivery vehicles. GM started work immediately last January to transform the CAMI during the next two years from Chevrolet Equinox production to the production of EV600s, to serve the growing North American market for electric delivery. This pull-ahead will enable accelerating the launch schedule and doubling the number of units built during the first year of production to keep pace with anticipated demand.

EV600 production will shift to the CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll in November 2022 following a four-month plant retooling. CAMI-based BrightDrop production is anticipated to ramp up to two shifts in 2023 and, demand allowing, three shifts of production as soon as 2024. The World Economic Forum estimates so-called urban last-mile delivery emissions are on track to increase by more than 30% by 2030 in the top 100 cities globally

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About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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One Response to GM’s CAMI Assembly Hastens BrightDrop EV600 Production

  1. Pingback: GM Stalks $20B Electric Conversion Market | AutoInformed

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