The automaker is pausing work at its Ingersoll, Ont., plant at it looks to realign production amid volatile EV demand

Nearly two and a half years ago, the first BrightDrop truck rolled off General Motors’ CAMI Assembly Plant line in southern Ontario.

This week, the plant began layoffs.

GM says it must slow production of its flagship electric delivery truck at its CAMI plant in the face of low market demand. Layoffs began April 14, in anticipation of a full shut down in May that is expected to last until late this year.

“This is a crushing blow to hundreds of working families in Ingersoll and the surrounding region who depend on this plant,” said Unifor’s national president, Lana Payne, in a press statement.

GM says the CAMI plant will resume production in October, though operating only a single shift. The four to five months of downtime in the interim will be used to upgrade the line to produce its 2026 commercial EVs.

The company did not respond to a request for comment from Electric Autonomy in time for publication.

Payne is calling on Canadian businesses and government to step up.

“The BrightDrop electric delivery van is built in Canada by Canadian workers — it’s the smart choice for Canadian business, government agencies and for our economy. Procurement and industrial policy go hand in hand.”

Dealing with turmoil

CAMI is the second EV-producing plant in Ontario to experience a closure this month.

At the beginning of April Stellantis announced it was shutting down  its Windsor Assembly Plant for two weeks. The facility — where the all-electric Dodge Charger and plug-in hybrid Chrysler Pacifica minivans are made — will reopen April 21 for a two-week run.

The automaker is making no promises for what happens beyond then.

Stellantis had already announced in February that it was pausing plans to begin producing the electric Jeep Compass at another Ontario plant. (Its Brampton factory has been idle and undergoing upgrades since early 2024.)

In both instances Stellantis cited tariffs imposed by U.S. president Donald Trump coupled with the overall “dynamic environment” around EVs as reasons for the production disruption.

“The reality is the U.S. is creating industry turmoil,” said Payne. “Trump’s short-sighted tariffs and rejection of EV technology is disrupting investment and freezing future order projections.”

According to the union leader, this is bad news for North American manufacturers. “This is creating an opening for China and other foreign automakers to dominate the global EV market while the North America industry risks falling behind.”

Rising tariffs or slowing demand?

All this uncertainty comes amid recent data revealing positive overall trends.

On April 1, GM Canada released its quarterly statement: national passenger EV sales were up 252 per cent year-over-year. (The automaker’s two leading EV models — the Cadillac Optiq and the Chevrolet Equinox — are both manufactured in Mexico.)

Meanwhile, Stellantis (through its wholly owned subsidiary FCA Canada) also had robust battery-electric vehicle sales in this country, reporting “more than 1,100” BEVs in Q1 2025.”

But despite the strong start to the year in some sectors of the auto market, the gains are at serious risk due to chaotic trade and foreign policies emanating from the U.S.

Stellantis, for its part, has pointed directly to tariffs (and the simple fact of the threat of tariffs) as a major driver in its decision to slow EV production. That is echoed by Tier 1 suppliers like Magna, which came out saying tariffs between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico would shut down auto production on the continent in a week.

“Make no mistake — the world is moving rapidly towards electrification,” warns Unifor’s Payne. “If Canada and the U.S. hit pause now, we may never catch up. We risk surrendering our future unless we act decisively to support our own industry.”