The Chevy Express Just Dunked On The Electric BrightDrop Van And Deserves A 30th Anniversary Model Now

(The Gas Station is where American Cars And Racing Executive Editor Gary Gastelu vents his opinions. Feel free to let us know if you think they stink.)

Parent’s should never outlive their children, but that’s exactly what the Chevy Express just did.

General Motors has pulled the plug on its short-lived BrightDrop electric van lineup. The new commercial trucks were launched in 2021 and the first shipped to customers in March of 2023.

BrightDrop was a key piece of GM’s EVerybody In moment, which has more or less passed as the brand refocuses on internal combustion engine powertrains, due to a slower than expected electric vehicle adoption rate.

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BrightDrop was originally its own brand, but the vans were rolled into Chevrolet just last August. GM delivered 1,529 to customers in 2024 and 3,976 in the January through September period this year, which wasn’t enough to justify keeping them in production at the Canadian plant that built them. It is currently being assessed for future products.

GM still refers to EVs its “North Star” and says it still aims to go all-electric one day, but doesn’t expect to get there by 2035 as originally planned. Dropping BrightDrop means Chevrolet’s only van offering is now the tried and true Express, which is also sold as the GMC Savana. The heavy duty cargo and passenger models are offered in a variety of sizes and configurations with V6 and V8 engine options. Chevy sold 43,637 of the Missouri-built vans in the first three quarters of this year while GMC added 17,269 Savanas. Those figures are up 44% and 20% from 2024 and speak volumes for their continued appeal.

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The Express and Savana also hold the distinction of being GM’s “oldest” new vehicles on sale today, having both been launched for the 1996 model year. They received facelifts in 2003 and have had some mechanical updates along the way, but have never been fully reengineered. That means 2026 marks their 30th anniversary, which I think is cause for a celebratory special edition Express 30 trim. Elders should be honored, after all.