General Motors Co. will invest nearly $ 800 million to bring production of the BrightDrop EV600 electric vehicle to the CAMI plant in Ontario, Canada.
The investment will convert the plant into a large-scale electric van plant to support GM’s timing to deliver the EV600 by the end of 2021, the company said in a statement. statement. The agreement is subject to ratification with union Unifor and confirmation of government support.
GM announced the creation of a wholly-owned company, BrightDrop, on Tuesday with plans to supply battery-powered vans as well as fleet management services.
See more: GM extends plug-in push to vans, ultra-luxury cars
The proposed investment would create Canada’s first large-scale commercial EV plant, Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford and Economic Development Secretary Vic Fedeli said in a statement.
Separately, Ford Motor Co. reached a preliminary contract agreement with Unifor in the second half of last year, including plans to assemble five battery-powered models at the company’s Oakville, Ontario, plant from 2025. The factory was in danger of closing because the Edge sports car made there has an uncertain future.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV also agreed spend between C $ 1.35 billion and C $ 1.5 billion on a new electric vehicle platform at the Windsor, Ontario plant.
GM has deep roots in Ontario and has built more than 20 million vehicles there Oshawa plant since 1918. GM said it would invest as much as C $ 1.3 billion ($ 997 million) last fall to reopen its Oshawa assembly plant under a preliminary deal with Unifor.
(Updates with Ontario Government Commentary and related EV Pacts from the fourth paragraph.)