The investments announced today will transform GM’s Ingersoll assembly plant, about 150 kilometers southwest of Toronto, into the first mass-produced electric vehicle plant in Canada.
GM said the Ingersoll plant will begin producing the Zevo 600 electric van in December this year, manufactured under the BrightDrop brand, GM’s new unit dedicated to the development and production of electric utility vehicles.
GM secured contracts to sell thousands of units of the Zevo 600, formerly called EV600, to companies such as Merchants Fleet (MF) and Verizon.
Production of the Zevo EV600 minivan will begin in Ingersoll once GM installs the equipment needed to manufacture it at the plant over the summer.
Additionally, GM decided to produce the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at its Oshawa assembly plant, about 60 kilometers northeast of Toronto.
The decision means the addition of a third shift at the Oshawa plant and the creation of 2,600 jobs.
Production of the Chevrolet Silverado makes the Oshawa plant the first GM plant to combine light and heavy-duty pickup manufacturing.
The Canadian government announced that it will contribute $259 million to facilitate GM’s investment in Ingersoll and Oshawa.
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