- General Motor’s BrightDrop subsidiary, which offers a range of commercial EVs, is set to enter a third country, Mexico.
- The announcement follows the brand’s launch in both the USA and Canada.
- The company will offer its fully-electric Zevo 400 and Zevo 600 vans to the Mexican market.
Mexico gets GM’s commercial EVs
General Motors has announced that its electric commercial vehicle offshoot ‘BrightDrop’ will begin selling its vehicles in Mexico later this year. This is the third country for the new brand to launch in, after initially launching in the USA in 2021 and then Canada in 2022.
BrightDrop will offer both the Zevo 600, and the yet-to-be-produced Zevo 400, a slightly smaller model. The BrightDrop EVs are currently made at GM’s factory in Ontario, Canada. Final assembly within North America means US customers can take advantage of EV tax credits, as part of the country’s Inflation Reduction Act.
However, this requirement for North American production also includes Mexico and Puerto Rico. Its Canada plant is reportedly running at maximum capacity, with a four-year order list for the Zevo 600, according to GM Authority. We’ll wait to see if General Motors opens another factory for BrightDrop vans – maybe in Mexico, to avoid local import tariffs.
Further expansion?
While Mexico is a significant expansion to GM’s BrightDrop plans, the company has not yet confirmed any further expansion plans for BrightDrop to other countries, or continents such as Europe. It did choose to reveal the more-compact Zevo 400 at the IAA Transportation 2022 in Germany, but with European vans typically having a much smaller footprint to fit down narrow streets, it’ll be interesting to see GM’s future plans for the commercial brand.
“Bringing BrightDrop’s products to Mexico is a key move in our mission to decarbonize delivery globally, while helping customers take advantage of the economic benefits of going electric. Electrifying vehicle fleets can positively impact the environment and companies’ bottom lines. By bringing BrightDrop solutions closer to our customers throughout North America, we can help make the EV transition as seamless as possible.”
Steve Hornyak, CCO, BrightDrop
