OTTAWA: Geely Holding Group's Lotus brand electric vehicles will arrive in Canada in July under an agreement between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping, China's ambassador to Canada Wang Di told Reuters.
They will be the first Chinese-owned and manufactured vehicles for sale under an agreement that allows up to 49,000 Chinese EVs to enter Canada annually at a reduced tariff rate, as Carney tries to diversify Canada's trade away from the United States.
"Geely EVs will be arriving in Canada next month and they will be holding a ceremony when the cars are delivered in Montreal," Wang said.
Lotus Cars did not respond to a request for comment.
Canada's Global Affairs department said it would not comment on specific shipments for reasons of commercial confidentiality.
Wang said other Chinese brands, such as Chery and BYD are coordinating with Canadian government agencies to complete steps before they can ship to Canada.
Some cars arrived earlier for the companies to test in Canadian conditions, Canadian officials have said previously.
"I hope in autumn this year, the truly, genuinely other Chinese brand EVs will complete the procedures and get into the Canadian market," Wang said through an interpreter.
BYD executive vice president Stella Li recently told Reuters the company would likely start sales next year.
U.S.-based Tesla has already imported Chinese-made vehicles into Canada.
Canada also aims to attract joint ventures and investments into the country's EV supply chain.
Wang said Chinese EV makers were interested in setting up joint ventures, but would first focus on building sales and gauging market demand.
Carney's decision to allow Chinese EV imports faced criticism from some U.S. officials and lawmakers.
