Canada Eases Tariffs on Chinese EVs, Lotus to Halve Eletre Price as U.S. Officials Criticize Deal
The pact allows 49,000 Chinese EVs at a 6.1% duty with reciprocal relief for Canadian canola.
Overview
- Lotus says the tariff shift enables an approximately 50% cut to planned Eletre pricing in Canada and projects “exponential” growth in wholesale deliveries.
- The company points to 2024 North American homologation and six authorized Canadian dealerships as giving it immediate market access.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney defends the arrangement as pragmatic and predicts Chinese automakers will invest in Canadian manufacturing within three years.
- Carney also forecasts that within five years more than half of quota EV imports will be priced below CAD$35,000, framing the policy as a path to more affordable options.
- U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized the deal, while President Donald Trump said the Canadian decision was acceptable.