Canada-China Deal Ships Lotus Eletre EVs to Montreal
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- Lotus Cars is shipping 18 Eletre EVs to Montreal later this month — the first Chinese-built EVs from a Chinese-owned brand to reach the Canadian market — under a quota allowing up to 49,000 Chinese EVs per year at reduced tariff rates.
- Canada is betting on the deal to pressure China into cutting its 100% import duty on Canadian canola oil and 25% duty on pork, with tariff relief on canola meal, peas, and lobster (set to expire at year's end) also reportedly in play.
- Wang Yi, China's Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the two countries can expand trade "as long as we keep to the right track" and uphold "mutual respect, equality, reciprocity," pointing to substantial untapped potential.
- Canada could nearly double its crude oil exports to China to roughly 22 million metric tons annually, up from nearly 15.5 million tons last year, according to Wang.
- Geely-owned Lotus updated the Eletre for 2026 with 905 horsepower, a 112 kWh battery, 304 miles of WLTP range, 22-inch wheels, and revised infotainment and styling.
- Lotus will hold a formal launch ceremony for the 18 Eletre SUVs in Montreal, marking the symbolic first fruit of the Carney-Xi arrangement.
Why it matters: Canada is trading access to its EV market — up to 49,000 Chinese vehicles a year at reduced tariffs — for Chinese movement on a punishing 100% canola duty that has blocked one of its flagship agricultural exports. The Lotus shipment is symbolic proof the quid-pro-quo is moving from handshake to shipping dock, with broader concessions on pork, peas, lobster, and crude oil also on the table.
