General Motors has given its first BrightDrop dealership to the Roy Foss Automotive Group in Vaughan, Ont.
BrightDrop Greater Toronto Area, positioned about 36 kilometres north of the center of the provincial capital, is the second store in North America selling the automaker’s business electric delivery vans. It joins the primary location which opened in Fontana, Calif., in 2021 near Los Angeles.
“Following the recent opening of our global EV manufacturing home in Ontario – the country’s first full-scale EV plant – BrightDrop Greater Toronto Area marks a critical step in our international expansion: we at the moment are open for business in Canada,” General Motors said in an announcement.
The vans are assembled about 150 kilometres southwest of Vaughan, in Ingersoll.
General Motors said BrightDrop Greater Toronto Area is “meeting our business fleet customers right where they operate.”
The automaker says its BrightDrop dealers will order, upfit and maintain support for the vans.
Toronto is the most important auto market and third largest electric-vehicle market in Canada. Provincially, British Columbia and Quebec are ahead of Ontario on the subject of EV registrations, mainly because those provinces offer EV rebates.
Meanwhile, Canada is committed to expanding the usage of electric vehicles by proposing one-fifth of all vehicle purchases be electric by 2026.
“With our dealers positioned in greater Toronto and Los Angeles – a number of the most EV-rich markets – it’s easier for business customers to make the switch to electric and integrate our vehicles into their recent or existing operations,” General Motors said.
The Roy Foss Automotive Group is a three-generation family business that also operates Canada’s largest Cadillac dealership. Founded by Roy Foss and now operated by his daughter Karen Foss and her son, James Ricci, they’ve many years of experience.
“Our fleet and business expertise, built over six many years within the Toronto area, solidly positions us to hit the bottom running with BrightDrop,” Karen Foss said in an announcement. “Working with this revolutionary brand will help us deliver what our customers need, and speed up EV adoption in Canada.”