GM to halt EV van production in Ontario

DETROIT, Apr 13 (Reuters): GM is temporarily halting production of its electric commercial van at its assembly plant in Ontario due to slow sales, the company and the union representing workers there said.

The Detroit automaker is temporarily laying off 1,200 workers at the plant as a result, according to Unifor, the union representing the workers. The shutdown is not related to recently imposed auto tariffs, the company said.

GM said it was making "operational and employment adjustments to balance inventory and align production schedules with current demand," at the CAMI Assembly plant where it makes Chevrolet BrightDrop electric vans.

The layoffs will start on April 14, according to the union, with workers returning in May for limited production. Production will temporarily cease until October 2025. During the downtime, GM said it plans to retool the plant to prepare for production of the 2026 model year BrightDrop vans.