GM Is Doubling US-Built Chevy Equinox Production, Killing BrightDrop EVs

General Motors announced in June that it was adding internal combustion engine Chevrolet Equinox production at its Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas and now it’s doubling down.

CEO Mary Barra announced on the automaker’s third quarter earnings call that it is aiming to build twice as many of the compact SUVs at the factory than originally planned. She said demand for the model is currently outstripping supply.

Chevrolet will also begin building the updated electric Bolt at Fairfax Assembly early next year, but has described the rebooted model as a “limited run” without clarifying how long it will remain in production.

The Equinox is currently manufactured only in Mexico and is GM’s best-selling model that is not a pickup truck. The Trump administration recently updated its tariff program to offer additional relief for U.S. automakers building vehicles in Mexico and Canada. Kansas Equinox production isn’t expected to start until the middle of 2027 as the plant is updated to build the model.

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Chevrolet previously manufactured the now-discontinued Malibu sedan at Fairfax and was delivering more than 225,000 annually as recently as 2016.

The Equinox was updated for 2025 with new styling and the addition of a rugged-style Activ trim. Chevy also sells the mechanically unrelated Equinox EV, which is built at a different plant in Mexico and is the best-selling EV in the U.S. that’s not made by Tesla.

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During the call, Barra also announced that GM is discontinuing its Chevrolet BrigthDrop line of electric commercial vans and is reassessing the future of the Canadian plant where they were manufactured.

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