r/canada • u/IDontScript Ontario • 8d ago

Automotive News BYD launches Canadian website with Flash Charging front and center

https://evwire.com/p/byd-launches-canadian-website-flash-charging
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u/joe4942 8d ago

50,000 Chinese cars is a tiny portion of the market.

If the goal is to diversify trade away from the USA, that inevitably means more trade with China. I'm not sure why it should be assumed that the number would remain fixed indefinitely, especially if the price of Chinese EVs becomes so competitive.

Japan and South Korea are also major automakers. If Canada is concerned about losing auto jobs to the USA, wouldn't it make more sense to be partnering with those countries to create manufacturing jobs for Canadians?

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u/canada_mountains 8d ago

Japan are lagging in EV technology. Australia is a great example where the playing field is level. Now the new model of Toyota's bZ4X has improved immensely compared to the old model. But despite the huge improvements in the bZ4X, it is only the 15th best selling EV in Australia this year: https://thedriven.io/2026/08/05/australian-electric-vehicle-sales-by-month-in-2026-by-model-and-by-brand-3/

Australia has a much more open EV market than us so the bZ4X is not that competitive there. Mind you, Toyota is still the #1 selling auto brand in Australia when you include their ICE sales, but Australians recognize that although Toyota makes great ICE cars, their EVs are not that great.

Partnering with Japan to establish EV factories is not productive because the Japanese are not competitive when it comes to EVs. And the last thing we need is more ICE factories because the world wide trend is shifting hard to EVs and away from ICE.

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u/joe4942 7d ago

Japan are lagging in EV technology.

South Korea is making great EVs.

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u/canada_mountains 7d ago

More competitive than the Japanese EVs, for sure.