GM Guts Workforce Amid Waning Demand for BrightDrop Vans

General Motors (GM) has laid off 500 workers at its CAMI Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, due to declining demand for BrightDrop electric vans. According to CNBC, the automaker is shutting down one of the plant’s two shifts and will temporarily idle the facility for 20 weeks starting in May. The news was also reported by TechCrunch.

GM clarified that the layoffs are not connected to the ongoing trade tensions under former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

BrightDrop was originally launched as an independent division by GM in 2021 but was reintegrated into the parent company in 2023. In 2024, a series of van recalls followed battery-related fire incidents, and later that year, the brand was folded into Chevrolet.

BrightDrop’s short-lived journey has seen its share of highs and lows, with the recent round of layoffs marking the latest chapter in its turbulent timeline.