‘Might be a good fit’: Rumours swirl that a European company may be bringing back the BrightDrop

A report says that GM may sell its plant in Ingersoll to a Belgian company, CTV London's Gerry Dewan takes a look at the future of the plant.

There may be a path forward for production of BrightDrop vehicles in Ingersoll.

Dozens of electric delivery vehicles, wearing the Chevrolet tag, remain in a compound on the property of the CAMI assembly plant. Production was stopped in the fall with General Motors stressing there were no plans for a return, but now there are reports emerging that the BrightDrop EV’S may still have a future.

The Belgium-based Dumarey Group is said to be exploring the idea of buying the CAMI plant, with plans to manufacture vehicles exclusively for the European market. The reports come from the online automotive trade journal GM Authority, which has a history of being tapped into GM’s operations. The report cites sources close to the discussions.

“An innovative, diversified Belgian company might be really high on the list of who might be a good fit,” observes Brendan Sweeney.

Sweeney is managing director with the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing, a London-based non-profit agency. He noted Dumarey takes a progressive approach to new technologies, “They’re diversified. They engage with a number of different technologies, including fuel cells, which is a really interesting play for Canada that, you know, might get a bit more gain more steam.”

The GM Authority report indicates Dumarey Group CEO and founder Guido Dumarey will tour the CAMI plant in the near future, but Sweeney is convinced CAMI will never again see the halcyon days which saw three thousand workers fill the plant during a time when they produced Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles.

He told CTV News, “My guess is they need a few hundred people. They are willing to do this, and it could serve as a good platform for growth. And it certainly would be better than an idle factory.”

Sweeney says there continues to be a significant shift in auto production in Ontario, pointing to analysis from the Trillium Network released on Monday. It found companies headquarters in Japan have become the dominant players in this country, “Last year, Toyota produced 537,000 vehicles. Honda produced 401,000 vehicles, and the three US based automakers combined produced 321,000 vehicles combined.”

The Trillium Network reports that in the last 10 years overall production has dropped from 2.3 million vehicles a year to 1.2 million vehicles a year