Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.Now that Canada’s auto market is open to Chinese-made electric vehicles at a reduced tariff rate of 6.1%—albeit with an annual cap of 49,000 vehicles—western automakers are starting to consider exporting their Chinese-made vehicles to our northern neighbor.Tesla is believed to be among the first to take advantage of the opportunity as it recently began advertising a Model 3 sedan in Canada for just C$42,132 (about US$30,900) after delivery fees. Since that’s an $8,000 drop from the electric sedan’s previous list price, the Model 3 is thought to be sourced from Tesla’s Shanghai factory.The Nissan N7 Sedan and NX8 SUV May Be Potential CandidatesNissanView the 3 images of this gallery on the original articleAdvertisementAdvertisementNissan is reportedly another automaker that is exploring exporting cars built at a joint venture with its Chinese partner Dongfeng to Canada.In an interview with Bloomberg, Christian Meunier, Nissan’s head of the Americas, said the carmaker aims to tap demand for low-cost EVs by exporting vehicles it makes with Dongfeng Motor Group Co in China to several markets, including Brazil and Mexico—and potentially including Canada.“In Canada, the government has opened the door for some Chinese products. We’re looking at this,” Meunier said. Mind you, he did not say which Nissan Dongfeng models were taken into account for possible export to Canada nor did he provide a timeline for the launch.Besides the Ariya, Nissan currently builds two other EVs with Dongfeng in China: the N7 fastback sedan (pictured above), which is slightly larger than the discontinued Maxima, and the NX8 midsize SUV (pictured below), which slots between the Rogue and the Pathfinder from a size standpoint. While not exactly entry-level vehicles, these two EVs are surprisingly affordable in China.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Nissan N7 starts at just $17,600, while the NX8 SUV is priced from around $22,000. Even after factoring in the 6.1% tariff rate and other expenses, Nissan may still have enough leeway to offer these models at competitive prices in Canada.NissanView the 3 images of this gallery on the original articleHow Much Longer Can Fortress America Resist?NissanThe fact that Nissan is considering bringing its China-made EVs to North America indicates a broader shift in the global auto industry as legacy carmakers lean on China’s lower production costs and faster EV development cycles to stay competitive.Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa previously said the Japanese automaker plans to ramp up exports from China, starting with 100,000 units initially and growing to 300,000. The first of the models destined for Latin American markets will be the Nissan N7 electric sedan and the Frontier Pro pickup, which is also sold as a plug-in hybrid in China.AdvertisementAdvertisementIn addition to Tesla and Nissan, several Chinese carmakers have expressed interest to enter the Canadian market, including BYD, Geely and Chery.Meanwhile, a bipartisan bill proposed in Congress seeks to permanently ban Chinese cars from the U.S. market. It remains to be seen how America's isolationist policy will affect the competitiveness of its domestic automakers on the global stage in the long run.This story was originally published by Autoblog on May 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
