Canada imported 2,400 Chinese EVs in July—how many were under $35,000?

Plus: Chinese automaker Dongfeng seems to be preparing to enter Canada, with a recent Montreal event and a new website

2,400 more EVs from China landed in Canada last month, per government reports Interestingly, most were classified as “=<35000”—that is, under CDN$35,000 Plus: Chinese automaker Dongfeng is making serious overtures to entering our market The influx of Chinese-made electric vehicles to Canada continues apace, with the federal government reporting that 2,400 units landed on our shores during the month of July . That’s not surprising, but what is surprising is that a significant percentage of them may have been said to have a list price of under CDN$35,000.

In case you need a refresher, Ottawa is permitting up to 24,500 electric vehicles to be imported from China through the months of March to August inclusive this year, all on a first-come first-served basis. After that time, the feds will issue new guidance about how the allocation will be divvied up, with any slots remaining unused rolling over into the new reporting period. A CDN$35,000-list-price delineation was mentioned, but expected to be more strictly enforced as time progresses.

As a matter of fact, though, the latter is key, since an attractive price-point is all that and a bag of chips when it comes to meaningful adoption of these cars in Canada. Data from the feds, linked above, classifies 1,965 of the 2,400 units in July as “=<35000”, suggesting over four-fifths of Chinese EVs brought to Canada that month had MSRPs under the CDN$35,000 mark. Which is interesting, since there are precisely zero such vehicles on sale to the general public today.

There’s a chance Tesla might have classified some of its Model 3 units brought in from China as such, though those have an (official) MSRP of $39,490. Absent more details, we’re left to speculate which brands might have been counted in that number. China's Chery aims to sell cars in Canada as early as late 2026

We have seen the future, and it is China All told, a grand total of 6,531 vehicles have been imported so far, leaving 17,969 units from the original six-month quota. Since that figure can be rolled into the next six-month period, it is not unreasonable to suggest imports will surge – potentially from new brands not currently sold in Canada – as the calendar year rolls on. Speaking of new brands, China’s Dongfeng has now set up a website specifically for the Canadian market , in addition to holding an event this week in Montreal to showcase its wares.

Expectations are that its models called the Box and Vigo will be the first to launch in Canada; the Box is a small hatchback, and the Vigo is a crossover about the size of a Hyundai Kona . Both are slated to have MSRPs under CDN$35,000. Specs for the Vigo seem rather intriguing at that price-point .

A trim called the “Air” has a range estimated at 401 kilometres on a full charge of its 45-kWh battery, with 160 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque from its single front-mounted electric motor. Another trim called the “Pro” has similar power specs but a bigger 52-kWh battery and 480 kilometres of range. (We note that Chinese regulators typically allow for more optimistic range estimates than ours here at home , but given those numbers are on a Dongfeng Canada site specifically for our country, we hope the figures take into account our more realistic testing regimens.)

Dimensions of the Vigo are given as 4,306 mm long, 1,868 mm wide, and 1,654 mm tall (a Kona Electric is 4,355 by 1,825 by 1,580). As for the Box hatchback, it also has a single electric motor on its front wheels , though this one is good for 94 horsepower and 118 lb-ft of twist. A battery size of 42.3 kWh is listed, sufficient for an indicated driving range of 430 clicks.

Typical features such as wireless device charging, Bluetooth audio, and the like are shown as standard equipment. Dongfeng says it is presently working on homologating those two models for our market, and has an open call for distributors on its website. Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on X , TikTok , and LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.