The future of the General Motors plant in Ingersoll, Ont,, became uncertain Tuesday as the company announced that it will stop making the underselling BrightDrop electric parcel-delivery van.

Known as CAMI, the plant was scheduled to open in November after being closed for retooling.

The decision marked another blow for Canada’s beleagured auto industry a week after Stellantis announced that it was moving production of the Jeep Compass to Illinois from Brampton, Ont., as part of a US$13-billion investment in its U.S. manufacturing operations.

GM attributed its decision to a lack of demand for the EV, whose sales have underperformed those of its rivals. The automaker said it will not move the BrightDrop’s production to another location, and the Ingersoll plant is idle but not shutting down. The company pledged to produce a different vehicle in Ingersoll, a secondary market near London, Ont.

“The decision to end production of the BrightDrop electric delivery van is driven by market demand and in no way reflects the commitment and skill of our workforce at CAMI,” said Kristian Aquilina, president and managing director of GM Canada. “This continues to be an uncertain time for our workforce at CAMI, and we are committed to working closely with our employees, Unifor and the Canadian and Ontario governments as we evaluate next steps for the future of CAMI.”

GM expressed appreciation that support from the federal and Ontario governments enabled investments in CAMI, and said it looked forward to having discussions with partners about the plant’s future.

“Our Canadian operations continue to be a critical part of GM and our North America business,” said Aquilina. “We employ thousands of Canadians across our manufacturing facilities, a multi-campus advanced tech and software centre, parts distribution network, and corporate offices. For more than 100 years, GM has been designing, engineering and building vehicles in Canada and we intend to keep doing so.”

But Lana Payne, Unifor’s national president, and others blamed the decision on U.S. President Donald’s Trump’s hardline stance against Canada’s auto industry, along with his increased tariffs and desire to reshore vehicle-manufacturing facilities in the U.S. Payne called for the federal government to fight harder against the tariffs, but Aquilina told The Toronto Star, that the increased levies did not factor into the company’s decision.

Premier Doug Ford said the province will seek to hold GM to its legal commitments and could file a lawsuit against GM if the company makes a misstep, the Star reported. Federal Industry Minister Melanie Joly made a similar vow after Stellantis decided to move Compass production south of the border.

But Joly told reporters in Ottawa that the GM and Stellantis moves are “completely different situations.”

“Stellantis had an obligation to bring production back to the Brampton plant and they failed that obligation,” said Joly. “When it comes to GM, they decided to let go their BrightDrop, which was an EV which wasn’t doing well commercially.”

But she said Prime Minister Paul Carney’s government will push GM to produce another vehicle in Ingersoll. Premier Ford also vowed to press GM to build another vehicle at the CAMI facility.

But Flavio Volpe, CEO of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association was skeptical that the plant would reopen.

“I think this is very likely the end of production at Ingersoll,” he told the Star. “GM made a bad decision when it moved production of the Equinox from Ingersoll to the U.S. five years ago. In normal times, you can fix that, but with the trade uncertainty right now, it gives the company cover to close the plant.”

Volpe contended that the entire Canadian automotive industry is under anexistential threat due to Trump’s trade policies and tariffs.

“We’ve been under an existential threat for a year,” Volpe told the Star. “Now, the foundation is starting to crumble.”

But Payne told the Star that the foundations are not just crumbling.

They’re being blown apart by Donald Trump,” she told the Star.

Pictured: BrightDrop delivery van.

Photo: General Motors Canada