GM's BrightDrop to expand commercial EV business to Mexico

BrightDrop, GM's commercial EV delivery business unit, announced Monday plans to expand sales of its flagship electric vans to Mexico.

The first two products coming to Mexico are the BrightDrop Zevo 400 and BrightDrop Zevo 600, according to the company. GM didn't give a precise date of when Mexico-based customers can begin ordering its products, only to say it would happen later this year.

"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," BrightDrop's chief commercial officer Steve Hornyak, said in a statement.

The commercial EV business unit -- an ecosystem of electric and connected products and software services that launched in January 2021 -- is part of GM's strategy to dominate the EV industry. While it is still a nascent business, BrightDrop has managed to carve out some market share in the commercial EV fleet industry, gaining orders from DHL Express, FedEx and Ryder, among others.

The company expanded its business to Canada in late 2022 with the first Canadian-bound EV vans delivered in June of this year.

Production of Zevo 600 is ramping up with the smaller Zevo 400 on track to begin in the next few months, the company said. To date, more than 1,000 Zevo 600 vans have been produced at GM's CAMI Assembly plant in Ontario, Canada. The Zevo 400 will also be produced at the CAMI factory, which is expected to reach 50,000 vans annually by 2025.