Chinese EV giant BYD is coming to Canada. The company’s executive vice president, Stella Li confirmed the news yesterday, with an official launch targeted for late 2026.
The company plans to hit the ground running with more than 20 dealerships open within its first year, starting in the big markets: Greater Toronto Area, Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary.
BYD is splitting its vehicle launch into two phases. First up are three models: the Atto 3 (a compact crossover), the Seal (an electric sedan), and the Dolphin (a smaller hatchback).
Phase two follows a few months later with the Seagull, a compact city car that Li says will start at around $25,000 CAD. That price point would make it one of the most affordable EVs on the Canadian market, which is clearly the whole point.
Canada and China struck a major EV trade deal that slashed Canada’s 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles down to 6.1%, though it came with a hard cap of 49,000 imports for 2026. In return, Beijing lifted its heavy tariffs on Canadian canola seed, reopening a huge $4 billion market for agricultural exporters.
The deal opened the door for brands like Tesla to import vehicles from Shanghai (which they’ve already done with the price-dropped Model 3) and set the stage for BYD’s planned Canadian launch. Back home, the agreement drew pushback from Ontario, a major North American auto manufacturing hub worried about the competitive pressure. Washington wasn’t happy either, raising concerns about Chinese vehicles potentially being used for surveillance.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
