Chinese-made electric vehicles have started arriving in Canada following an earlier trade deal struck between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping in January.
The first shipments have already landed. According to shipping data and sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports hundreds of Tesla vehicles built at the company’s Shanghai factory have come in under the new rules. A carrier ship called the Glovis Treasure also recently anchored outside Vancouver carrying a small number of Lotus Eletre electric SUVs (starting from just $119,990 CAD), a luxury brand owned by China’s Geely (parent of Volvo and Polestar).
Canada previously had a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese EVs that basically shut them out of the market entirely, following a policy first kicked into law by the U.S. Under the new deal, up to 49,000 Chinese-made EVs can enter Canada annually at a far lower tariff rate of 6.1 per cent.
Speaking at the Economic Club of New York last week, Carney acknowledged that Tesla will likely dominate the early shipments but said Canadians will eventually see more affordable options arrive in a controlled way. That tracks with the government’s plan to reserve a portion of the quota specifically for EVs priced under $35,000 by 2027, rising to 50 per cent of the quota by 2030.
The quota currently represents less than 3% of Canada’s total new vehicle market, though the cap is set to grow annually. The feds are still working out how to divvy up the quota between brands so one automaker doesn’t lock up the entire allotment.
Global Affairs Canada data shows 2,910 EVs from China were imported into Canada last month. It’s likely the majority of these are Tesla’s new cheaper Model 3 RWD which starts at $39,490 CAD. They have yet to confirm which automakers made up all the cars.
U.S. lawmakers from Michigan recently proposed a bill to ban Chinese connected vehicles from crossing into the United States, which could affect Canadian owners trying to drive across the border.
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No thanks. Boycott all EVs
BS… boycott all US products
The US has a nerve trying to tell Canada that we can’t drive a made in China car across their border if we buy one.. over protecting those overpaid union car makers!
America doesn’t do business with Third World countries and that includes Canada
With over 350 million people in our country if we tell Canada to jump, it’s in your best interest to ask how high
Why? They are the future. You are not.
Communism is a failed ideology not in your best interest to get buddy buddy with a communist China dictator look how that turned out for that guy in Venezuela. We actually had to fly there.
Not enough they need to bring in more evs then just 49000… we need more competition to make evs even cheaper than combustion engines
Nothing like a Chinese EV fire to burn down your house. Don’t worry since you’re not allowed to cut down trees to build houses in Canada. You can buy American lumber. Oh wait we won’t sell it to you.
Canadian shall boycott all US product. It can only be good for Canada. Those americans are so pathetic trying to always threat their allies if they dare doing trade with other. It’s time we chose for Canadian only and don’t care about USA
Canada, you have absolutely no leverage and no strength to project in this world. Your bottom feeders that survive off the success of other countries. You don’t even own a space program if it wasn’t for America you’d still be listening to a 1930s radio. You failed misdirected government will have you in rags living on sidewalks in your 10 cities well the rest of the world advance is forward.
You’ll be elbows and knees down eating cat food soon enough we welcome you to try your best and boycott America. It is us who doesn’t need you.
For all you, Canadian mathematicians out there, the state of Florida has more citizens in that one state alone than your entire Third World country…
But one day, we’ll come there and make Canada great again by changing your flag to 🇺🇸
Lot of low IQ individuals that are pro communist in Canada. if you hate America so much stop buying all our clothes, computer products, and food in fact, stop buying everything and let’s see how far you get. We still welcome you to drive your communist Chinese EV across the border to the greatest country on earth, where we will seize your propaganda wagon and crush it.
You Americans are so dumb that you don’t realize that everything you listed comes from China. You don’t realize you’re paying the extra tariffs on the imports from China. You think China pays the tariff, what a dumbass. Your american cars are so unreliable and over priced that we Canadians don’t want that junk. Bring on the China made EVs.
Don’t worry, we’re taking your entire industry soon. You’ll be eating cat food out of a dumpster. But don’t worry we’re coming for your land very soon. You can bet dollars to donuts it won’t be yours for long, but the good thing is you won’t have to have Indian land recognition at your lousy football games anymore.
is your diversity still your strength?