The Ford E-Transit has thus far found solid footing in the commercial van space, providing fleets with lower operating costs compared to its ICE equivalent and proving to be a good fit for certain applications, such as last-mile deliveries. However, some of the E-Transit’s rivals have had a hard time catching on in that same market, and that includes GM’s Chevy Brightdrop EV van lineup. Now, GM has opted to pull the proverbial plug on its Brightdrop van altogether.
According to GM Authority, production of the Brightdrop van has ended at the CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, and the automaker has no plans to move it elsewhere, effectively sending that model to the automotive graveyard. Production of both Brightdrop vans – the 400 and 600 – has been on pause since May already, though it was scheduled to restart in November, following a retooling for the 2026 model year.
“We have decided to stop Brightdrop production at CAMI assembly and assess the site for future opportunities,” said GM CEO Mary Barra. “This is not a decision we made lightly because of the impact on our employees. However, the commercial electric van market has been developing much slower than expected and changes to the regulatory framework and fleet incentives have made the business even more challenging.”
Thus, the E-Transit has one less rival to deal with moving forward, but it isn’t immune to slow demand for EVs, in general. In fact, back in August, FoMoCo announced that it was pushing back its production start dates for the next-generation E-Transit and Ford F-150 Lightning to 2028. While that is the first such delay for the second-generation E-Transit, Ford has already pushed back the debut of the next-gen F-150 EV on three occasions. As for the new full-size Ford EV van, it was previously slated to enter production in 2026, and was reportedly “on track” to meet that date, previously.
It would use those pickups to inspect roads and dams.
The rear brake pads may have been manufactured incorrectly.
The tiny little off-roader won't be sold in North America, however.
It covers vehicles that haven't fallen under existing recalls.
The Blue Oval just received a bit of relief in that regard, too.
Seemingly set to replace Ford Performance gear in that regard.
View Comments
I wonder if Farley and Junior are taking note as they keep adding EV capacity while other automakers are repurposing it?