BrightDrop, Cruise gear up for production

General Motors' commercial vehicle units are getting ready for growth this year.

BrightDrop, the automaker's 2-year-old electric delivery van business, started production of the Zevo 600 van last December at GM's CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. The smaller Zevo 400 van is expected to enter production this year.

GM President Mark Reuss called BrightDrop "the fastest product launch in our history, from concept to commercialization in less than two years" at an event marking the start of production in Canada. He added that the goal of BrightDrop is to reduce tailpipe emissions and improve efficiency for last-mile delivery companies. FedEx Express and logistics company DHL Express Canada are early customers.

In addition, GM-backed Cruise, a self-driving technology company, is preparing for volume production of the Origin autonomous vehicle at the automaker's Factory Zero plant in Detroit. The Origin has no traditional steering wheel or pedals.

"Almost all of our energy as a company is going into scaling," Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt told Automotive News this year. "Figuring out how to set up new markets, crank up the volume of vehicles, get ready for the Origin, make sure all of our support systems handle that kind of volume. And so our metrics and reporting have started to resemble that of a business operating at scale."

BrightDrop Zevo 600: The Zevo 600 offers 600 cubic feet of cargo space and can travel up to 250 miles on a full charge. It is meant for longer-range deliveries. The first customer deliveries of Zevo 600 vans have begun.

BrightDrop Zevo 400: The Zevo 400 offers more than 400 cubic feet of cargo space for shorter and more-frequent deliveries, such as groceries. Production is expected to begin in the second half of the year.

Cruise Origin: Production of the Origin is expected to begin at GM's Fac- tory Zero plant this year.