>Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD says it will launch in Canada in late 2026, opening more than 20 dealerships in major cities including Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary.
Stella Li, executive vice-president of BYD and president of BYD Americas, confirmed Tuesday the company will begin rolling out the dealerships as Ottawa’s new trade agreement with Beijing reshapes Canada’s EV landscape, confirmed on social media.
The company’s first phase of vehicles in Canada will include the Atto 3 compact SUV, the Seal sedan and the Dolphin hatchback.
A second phase is expected to introduce the Seagull city car, which could start at around **CAD$25,000**, according to Li, potentially making it the cheapest electric vehicle available in Canada.
BYD’s expansion comes after a January 2026 trade agreement between Ottawa and Beijing replaced Canada’s previous 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made EVs with a reduced 6.1 per cent tariff under an annual quota system.
The agreement allows up to 49,000 Chinese-made electric vehicles into Canada annually, with the cap set to rise to 70,000 by 2030.
In exchange, China reduced tariffs on Canadian agricultural exports including canola, lobster, crab and peas, according to Global Affairs Canada.
Hot_Cheesecake_905 on
I hope BYD adopts a first-party model for post-sales support like they did in Australia. In Australia, BYD now handles service directly after local dealers dropped the ball with warranty and service issues. Once BYD made that shift in Australia, satisfaction with their cars seemed to go up considerably.
Also, this will likely result in about 1,000+ jobs? 50+ employees per location x 20?
I hope they bring their Denza brand to Canada too – the BYD Denza Z looks pretty sweet and the kids would love the Denza D9 minivan.
JL671 on
Im a transit user but when I need to get a car I want it to be a BYD
Reasonable_Let9737 on
Let’s f’ing go.
elatllat on
Chinese built ZEVs already available in Canada at the 6.1 % tariff rate: Tesla and Polestar.
Tylersbaddream on
Ball’s in your court Toyota… When is a fully electric Yaris coming to Canada?!
DigitaIBlack on
Aww man they took the bait
Their source is some random X account allegedly from Africa with almost no followers
I’m not saying BYD isn’t coming to Canada. I’m saying this source does not appear to be legitimate.
rTpure on
We’re gonna see kia and hyundai all dropping prices soon on their EV
thatguydowntheblock on
Overall good news. The US won’t drop their auto tariffs. We may as well go the way of Australia while trying to keep and prompt our domestic manufacturing industry.
drpestilence on
Hell ya.
Kommentator01 on
We’ve had BYD here in Brazil since 2021. Its impact has been tremendous compared to other brands, they all had to reduce their prices because BYD offers excellent value for money. The cars are also excellent. In general, because the Brazilian media is bought by traditional companies, articles criticizing it still appear, but after 5 years, the BYD Dolphin Mini is the best-selling car in Brazil.
Dangerous_Essay1763 on
So no BYD Shark 6? That sucks.
Any_News_7208 on
2nd phase would be 2H 2027 I assume?
Mysterious-Arm-89 on
Trump mad
scott_c86 on
I know of at least one empty Vinfast dealer they could move into…
FrothyEspresso on
Excellent. I’ll buy one.
FLee21 on
Super. Looking forward to buying an affordable electric vehicle.
Informal_Cut_6609 on
preferred to anything musk related
J0Puck on
BYD looks very intriguing to me. Especially the Atto 3, looks very Crosstrek in size, my rule of thumb when it comes to a vehicle, is having enough space we can fit a couple of luggage. I’ll be watching for sure when these dealerships go online, because I’ll be heavily interested. Especially with gas prices being volatile. Might be worth it.
Own-Beat-3666 on
That’s a lot of dealerships for just 49,000 vehicles per year even if it grows to 70,000. There will be such a rush to buy the year’s quota will hit 49,000 within a week or so. Makes me question so what are these dealerships going to do after the 49,000 quota is reached? Especially when EVs require less servicing than ICE vehicles.
20 Comments
From article
>Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD says it will launch in Canada in late 2026, opening more than 20 dealerships in major cities including Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary.
Stella Li, executive vice-president of BYD and president of BYD Americas, confirmed Tuesday the company will begin rolling out the dealerships as Ottawa’s new trade agreement with Beijing reshapes Canada’s EV landscape, confirmed on social media.
The company’s first phase of vehicles in Canada will include the Atto 3 compact SUV, the Seal sedan and the Dolphin hatchback.
A second phase is expected to introduce the Seagull city car, which could start at around **CAD$25,000**, according to Li, potentially making it the cheapest electric vehicle available in Canada.
BYD’s expansion comes after a January 2026 trade agreement between Ottawa and Beijing replaced Canada’s previous 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made EVs with a reduced 6.1 per cent tariff under an annual quota system.
The agreement allows up to 49,000 Chinese-made electric vehicles into Canada annually, with the cap set to rise to 70,000 by 2030.
In exchange, China reduced tariffs on Canadian agricultural exports including canola, lobster, crab and peas, according to Global Affairs Canada.
I hope BYD adopts a first-party model for post-sales support like they did in Australia. In Australia, BYD now handles service directly after local dealers dropped the ball with warranty and service issues. Once BYD made that shift in Australia, satisfaction with their cars seemed to go up considerably.
Also, this will likely result in about 1,000+ jobs? 50+ employees per location x 20?
I hope they bring their Denza brand to Canada too – the BYD Denza Z looks pretty sweet and the kids would love the Denza D9 minivan.
Im a transit user but when I need to get a car I want it to be a BYD
Let’s f’ing go.
Chinese built ZEVs already available in Canada at the 6.1 % tariff rate: Tesla and Polestar.
Ball’s in your court Toyota… When is a fully electric Yaris coming to Canada?!
Aww man they took the bait
Their source is some random X account allegedly from Africa with almost no followers
I’m not saying BYD isn’t coming to Canada. I’m saying this source does not appear to be legitimate.
We’re gonna see kia and hyundai all dropping prices soon on their EV
Overall good news. The US won’t drop their auto tariffs. We may as well go the way of Australia while trying to keep and prompt our domestic manufacturing industry.
Hell ya.
We’ve had BYD here in Brazil since 2021. Its impact has been tremendous compared to other brands, they all had to reduce their prices because BYD offers excellent value for money. The cars are also excellent. In general, because the Brazilian media is bought by traditional companies, articles criticizing it still appear, but after 5 years, the BYD Dolphin Mini is the best-selling car in Brazil.
So no BYD Shark 6? That sucks.
2nd phase would be 2H 2027 I assume?
Trump mad
I know of at least one empty Vinfast dealer they could move into…
Excellent. I’ll buy one.
Super. Looking forward to buying an affordable electric vehicle.
preferred to anything musk related
BYD looks very intriguing to me. Especially the Atto 3, looks very Crosstrek in size, my rule of thumb when it comes to a vehicle, is having enough space we can fit a couple of luggage. I’ll be watching for sure when these dealerships go online, because I’ll be heavily interested. Especially with gas prices being volatile. Might be worth it.
That’s a lot of dealerships for just 49,000 vehicles per year even if it grows to 70,000. There will be such a rush to buy the year’s quota will hit 49,000 within a week or so. Makes me question so what are these dealerships going to do after the 49,000 quota is reached? Especially when EVs require less servicing than ICE vehicles.