Canada’s China EV imports surge past 50 per cent of first-window quota

Canada’s import quota for Chinese-built electric vehicles has passed the halfway point, with federal data showing 12,513 permits used in the first allocation window. That equals 51.1 per cent of the 24,500 permits available before the window closes on August 31.

A Global Affairs Canada report executed on August 7 shows 2,400 vehicles cleared in the first week of August, on top of the 10,113 recorded through the end of July. The department says 11,987 permits remain.

Early August imports show a major shift in the types of vehicles entering Canada. Higher-value electric passenger cars made up 1,880 of the 2,400 units cleared, while lower-value electric passenger cars accounted for 520 units. Electric SUVs, passenger vans and non-plug-in hybrids recorded zero imports after appearing in July’s data.

The report also revises July’s total upward to 5,982 vehicles, about 300 more than previously reported.

Unused permits will carry into the second window, which opens September 1 with another 24,500 permits. A rollover of 8,000 to 10,000 permits would raise the second-window ceiling to as high as 35,000 vehicles.

Several brands are preparing to use the expanded allocation, including Polestar, BYD, Chery and Dongfeng. Tesla remains the current dominant importer.