General Motors plans to bring production of its recently announced BrightDrop electric light commercial vehicle, the EV600, to its CAMI manufacturing plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. This is contingent on the almost certain ratification of a tentative 2021 agreement reached with Unifor (agreed on 18 January in the morning -editor) and confirmation of less certain government support. (See AutoInformed BrightDrop? General Motors New Business Claims It Will Electrify, Improve Goods and Services Delivery) The C$1 billion investment will support GM’s plan to deliver BrightDrop EV600s in late 2021. 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
This investment and Canadian workforce will make CAMI into Canada’s first large-scale auto plant converted to produce electric delivery vehicles. GM says work begins immediately to transform the CAMI over the next two years from Chevrolet Equinox production to the production of EV600s, to serve the growing North American market for electric delivery solutions. Continue reading












GM, Cruise, Microsoft to Commercialize Self-Driving Vehicles
Cruise Automation COO Dan Kan, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt, then GM President Dan Ammann – Cruise offices in San Francisco – June 2018. (l to r)
Cruise and General Motors today announced they have entered a long-term strategic relationship with Microsoft to “accelerate the commercialization of self-driving vehicles.” The companies claimed they will bring together their software and hardware engineering, cloud computing capabilities, manufacturing ability, and partners to “create a safer, cleaner and more accessible world for everyone.” AutoInformed thinks that making money on autonomous vehicles remains a distant promise.*
Microsoft will join General Motors, Honda and institutional investors in a combined new equity investment of more than $2 billion in Cruise, bringing the post-money valuation of Cruise to $30 billion. Founded and headquartered in San Francisco, Cruise’s stated goal is to build the world’s most advanced self-driving, all-electric, shared vehicles. GM will launch 30 new electric vehicles globally by 2025. Volkswagen and Ford havelinked with Pittsburgh autonomous vehicle company Argo AI, already. Hyundai in with Fiat Chrysler since the summer of 2020 to use Waymo’s driverless car technology. Continue reading →