Canada hits China-made electric cars with 100% tariff

[Menthol]

Canada wanting to protecting Canadian auto workers?

Corruption.

Political lobbying.

A deal behind the table, behind a closed door.

It's funny, Canadian unable to figure it out, no wonder their corruption perception index is low.

Is Canadian stupid?

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Corruption.

Political lobbying.

A deal behind the table, behind a closed door.

It's funny, Canadian unable to figure it out, no wonder their corruption perception index is low.

Is Canadian stupid?

They could simply be demanding what China did to everybody for decades. Build locally with 50/50 joint ventures with ToT or we will hit you with insane tariffs.

 

[Menthol]

They could simply be demanding what China did to everybody for decades. Build locally with 50/50 joint ventures with ToT or we will hit you with insane tariffs.

It's a normal practice in developing countries.

Including in Indonesia.

Using a large local market to force foreign company to have a joint venture with the local.

I guess, USA is also practicing it too.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

It's a normal practice in developing countries.

Including in Indonesia.

Using a large local market to force foreign company to have a joint venture with the local.

Name one successful Canadian car company?

Even China had car companies when foreign imports tried to get into their market...only to be blocked by high tariffs.

yet..for some reason that is not okay by Canada to ask for joint ventures by foreign car companies to help jumpstart their industry? They have to be considered "developing"..

 

[Menthol]

Name one successful Canadian car company?

Even China had car companies when foreign imports tried to get into their market...only to be blocked by high tariffs.

yet..for some reason that is not okay by Canada to ask for joint ventures by foreign car companies to help jumpstart their industry? They have to be considered "developing"..

None. Hahaha

But the dream to one day own a car brand with local production.

Yes. It's a very common practice around the world.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

Not to derail the thread but it was "agreements" like that that managed to get Motorola and Nokia into the very short end of the deal in China.

 

[Watandar]

Irrelevant as China is building factories for their electric cars in Mexico and Canada.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

Irrelevant as China is building factories for their electric cars in Mexico and Canada.

Yup. Just like Mrs. AZ's 2008 Tacoma is technically "Made in America".

 

[东风夜放花千树]

Currently, the Canadian government has eliminated the 100% tariff, applying a Most-Favored-Nation tariff treatment of 6.1%.

The Canadian government promotes the establishment of a large number of new joint ventures in Canada with China and trusted partners, thereby protecting and creating jobs for Canadian workers in the automotive manufacturing industry and ensuring the robust development of Canada's electric vehicle supply chain. At the same time, the Canadian government stated that more than 50% of these vehicles will be affordable electric vehicles, with import prices below 35,000 Canadian dollars, providing Canadian consumers with more low-cost options.

This is an agreement that benefits both Chinese investment and the people of Canada.

加拿大宣布取消对华电车100%关税

chinawto.mofcom.gov.cn

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Currently, the Canadian government has eliminated the 100% tariff, applying a Most-Favored-Nation tariff treatment of 6.1%.

with a 49,000 cap on Chinese imports which led to

July 24 2026

Canada's Chinese EV Quota Is 38% Full — And Tesla Took Most of It

Canada's Chinese EV Quota Is Filling Up — Mostly With an American Car Ottawa's quota for Chinese-built electric vehicles has passed a milestone nobody in Ottawa was aiming for. Global Affairs Canada's utilization report now shows 9,235 vehicles cleared into the country under the 24,500-unit...

finance.yahoo.com

Canada's Chinese EV Quota Is 38% Full — And Tesla Took Most of It​

Ottawa's quota for Chinese-built electric vehicles has passed a milestone nobody in Ottawa was aiming for. Global Affairs Canada's utilization report now shows 9,235 vehicles cleared into the country under the 24,500-unit first window that runs March 1 to August 31 — about 37.7% of the allocation, with 15,265 permits still on the table and roughly six weeks left on the clock.

Two months ago the number was 2,910. The acceleration is real. What's more interesting is what's inside it.

The C$35,000 line isn't a price tag​

The report splits imports into three buckets by tariff classification. Passenger cars with a customs value at or below C$35,000 have gone from nonexistent in May to 4,657 vehicles — now the largest single category, ahead of the 4,553 passenger cars declared above C$35,000. SUVs and vans above the line account for 25 units, which is a rounding error.

Read the headline version of that and you'd think budget EVs are flooding the border. They aren't, and here's the part worth understanding: customs value is not MSRP. Ottawa's own consultation document defines the low-price carve-out by Free On Board price — what the vehicle is worth loaded at the port of export, before ocean freight, insurance, the 6.1% duty, homologation costs, dealer margin, freight and PDI, provincial tax, air-conditioning excise, and the tire levy.

A car can sit comfortably under C$35,000 FOB in Shanghai and land in a Canadian driveway north of C$45,000. So the "affordable" tier growing to half the quota tells you very little about what Canadians are actually paying. It more likely tells you that a single high-volume shipper started classifying correctly once real volume began moving.

That shipper is almost certainly Tesla, which relaunched the Shanghai-built Model 3 Premium RWD in Canada on May 1 at C$39,490 after clearing out its Fremont-sourced stock. May logged 3,510 imports, June dropped to 621, and July has already blown past both. Nothing else in the market moves that kind of volume. Lotus is the only Chinese-controlled marque to have shipped anything at all, having launched the Eletre in Canada on April 24 at C$119,900 — a number that is not going to trouble the sub-C$35,000 column.

Why the quota isn't the real gate​

Everyone treats the 49,000-vehicle annual ceiling as the barrier to entry. It isn't. Permits are the easy part — GAC issues them on demand, first-come first-served, up to 30 days before a shipment lands, valid for 60 days, per Notice 1162.

The hard part is Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards compliance, which has nothing to do with trade policy and everything to do with engineering timelines. CMVSS requires bilingual labelling, metric instrumentation, daytime running lights, and a compliance-labelling regime distinct from FMVSS — plus an importer of record willing to own recall liability under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. None of that happens in a quarter. Lotus could ship in weeks because it completed North American certification back in 2024, when the 100% surtax made the exercise look pointless. That advance work is precisely why it beat brands with vastly more volume to the border.

Anyone waiting on BYD or Chery showrooms should be watching Transport Canada's compliance filings, not the permit counter.

The rebate trap buyers keep walking into​

Here's the practical math that matters more than the quota totals. Transport Canada's Electric Vehicle Affordability Program pays up to $5,000 on a new BEV — but only for vehicles built in Canada or in a country with which Canada holds a free trade agreement. China does not qualify.

So a C$39,490 Shanghai-built sedan and a C$44,490 Korean- or Mexican-built rival cost the same out of pocket once the rebate lands. Add that individuals get one EVAP rebate across the whole program period, and the calculus changes again: burning your single claim on a cheaper qualifying car may be worth more than the sticker gap suggests. Provincial incentives are a separate stack and follow their own rules, so check both before you sign anything.

Notice 1162 is explicit that the September 1 to February 28 window gets 24,500 vehicles plus whatever goes unused in the first six months. At today's pace, that second allocation lands somewhere near 39,000 permits — considerably more than the annual headline figure suggests anyone can use in half a year.

GAC ran consultations from April 7 to May 1 on whether to abandon first-come first-served for per-manufacturer allocations, and asked pointed questions about under-utilization penalties, whether allocations should be transferable, and whether the 60-day permit validity should change. A new notice is due before the window opens. If Ottawa moves to allocations, the company that has been quietly absorbing most of the quota loses its structural advantage overnight.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

July 28, 2026

https://news.gm.ca/en/home.detail.html/Pages/news/ca/en/2026/jul/0728_gm-canada-ev-sales-leader-first-half-2026.html

General Motors Remains Canada's EV Sales Leader Through First Half of 2026​

Chevrolet Equinox EV, Chevrolet Bolt and Cadillac OPTIQ ranked among Canada's top 10 best-selling EVs​

OSHAWA, Ont., July 28, 2026 — General Motors remains Canada's electric vehicle (EV) sales leader through the first half of 2026, with more than one in five EVs registered in Canada being a GM vehicle1. GM's EV sales increased 33.4 per cent year-over-year through June, reflecting continued demand for GM's expanding EV lineup.

As more EV choices become available to Canadian consumers, GM continues to see customers place value on affordability, range, charging access, technology and ownership support.

This customer demand helped drive strong results across GM's EV portfolio, with Chevrolet Equinox EV, Chevrolet Bolt and Cadillac OPTIQ ranking among Canada's top 10 best-selling EVs2.

“Backed by a broad and growing EV portfolio across Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac, GM remains Canada’s EV sales leader because we’re delivering what Canadians are looking for — affordable, long-range EVs with the technology, charging access and ownership support they expect,” said Shane Peever, vice-president, Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing, GM Canada. “More than 65 per cent of our EV buyers this year are new to Chevrolet, GMC or Cadillac, which shows that many Canadians are choosing GM for their first EV.”

With 13 EVs across Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC, GM offers customers a range of options spanning value-focused, luxury and electric truck segments, helping meet a variety of needs, lifestyles and budgets.

EV Portfolio Highlights – H1 2026

Chevrolet EVs prove affordability does not require compromise

• Chevrolet EVs attracted new customers to the brand, with a 65% conquest rate in H1 2026
• The Bolt’s return to market has driven month-over-month sales growth and the Bolt LT currently offers Canada’s Lowest Cash Purchase Price for an EV that has over 400km of estimated range3, starting from $34,995 which includes $3800 in available manufacturer’s rebates and the $5000 EVAP incentive for eligible customers4.
• Equinox EV sales increased 12% year-over-year, demonstrating continued demand for an affordable, long-range EV.

Cadillac continues to lead luxury EV sales

• Cadillac remained Canada's leading luxury EV brand in the first half of 20265, capturing 52.6% of the luxury EV segment.
• Cadillac EV sales increased 63.9% year-over-year.
• Cadillac OPTIQ and LYRIQ ranked as Canada's No. 1 and No. 2–selling luxury EVs5.

Making EV Ownership Easier, More Accessible and More Convenient

• GM's dealer network includes approximately 450 dealerships across Canada, most equipped to support EV customers with trained technicians, warranty coverage, replacement parts and service locations nationwide, helping support customers throughout the ownership journey.
• GM EV drivers in Canada can access more than 25,000 public charging ports across the country, helping make charging easier at home, at work or on the road.
• Chevrolet Bolt's native NACS charging port, along with GM-approved NACS adapters available for other GM EVs, provides access to tens of thousands of Tesla Superchargers across North America, helping make road trips and public charging more convenient.
• Google built-in and available Super Cruise [3-yr plan included] capability help enhance the ownership experience with integrated navigation, charging discovery and hands-free driving assistance on compatible roads.
• Chevrolet EV models configured at $50,000 or less qualify for Canada's Electric Vehicle Affordability Program (EVAP), helping reduce the cost of entry for Canadian.