COLUMN: Canada Is Throwing Its Doors Wide Open to Chinese Cars, and No One Seems to Realize What Just Happened

The BYD Seagull: An Existential Threat

Let’s talk about the BYD Seagull. This little city car is striking fear into the hearts of Western automakers. In China, it sells for $8,000. Eight thousand dollars for a fully functional electric car with 75 chevaux and a decent range. In Australia, the price jumps to $16,700 for the base model. Even when you factor in import costs and modifications to meet Canadian standards, the price remains well under $25,000 USD. It’s a revolution. A real one.

The Xpeng Mona M03 and the End of Tesla

Then there’s the Xpeng Mona M03. A sedan that shamelessly copies the Tesla Model 3. Same dimensions. Same look. Except that in China, it costs $16,000. Sixteen thousand. The Canadian Model 3? $66,000. See the problem? The Mona M03 offers a 50-kWh battery, front-wheel drive, and a design that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Xpeng says MONA stands for “Made Of New AI.” Personally, I see it mostly as a middle finger to Elon Musk.

I’m going to be honest with you. When I saw the Mona M03’s specs, I felt something strange—a mix of admiration and dread. Because if the Chinese can produce this at that price, what’s left for us? Our know-how? Our quality? Our unions? It all rings hollow when you realize that BYD sells more electric cars than Tesla. That Xpeng innovates faster than GM. That China has already won this war before we even realized it had begun.

Ontario vs. the Rest of the Country

Doug Ford is furious. The Ontario premier has declared himself “100% against” this tariff reduction. He wants China to open factories in Ontario and hire unionized Canadian workers. A noble intention. Except that Carney has already hinted that this is a possibility: a Chinese factory on Canadian soil. BYDs assembled in Oshawa. Geelys built in Windsor. The irony is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

The Prairies are celebrating while Ontario is in tears

Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan, was in Beijing with Carney, a smile on his face. Because his canola will finally be able to cross the Pacific without being crushed by 76%tariffs. Saskatchewan accounts for more than half of Canada’s canola production. For them, it’s Christmas in January. For Ontario’s auto industry, it’s the beginning of the end.

And I’m watching this spectacle with a morbid fascination. On one side, farmers who can finally breathe a sigh of relief. On the other, auto workers who see their future evaporating. Canada in miniature. Always torn between its regions, its interests, its identities. Carney has made his choice. He chose canola over the auto industry. The Prairies over Ontario. And I can’t help but think that we’ve just sacrificed a century-old industry to save a crop. Is it the right choice? I have no idea. But it hurts.

The Dongfeng Nammi 06 and the Popularization of Electric Vehicles

The Dongfeng Nammi 06 is a subcompact SUV about the size of a Nissan Kicks. It has a 181-horsepower motor and a 45- or 52-kWh battery. Price in China? $12,500. Even if we triple that price for the Canadian market, it’s still under $40,000. That’s exactly what Canadians want. An affordable electric SUV. Not an $80,000 luxury toy. A real family vehicle that won’t break the bank.

The GAC Aion UT: The Return of the Bolt

The GAC Aion UT bears a striking resemblance to the now-discontinued Chevrolet Bolt. Same size. Same philosophy. Except it has a 60-kWh battery and a 201-horsepower motor. In Thailand, it sells for $16,000. GAC is the Chinese partner of Honda and Toyota. They know how to build cars. They even exported Fits to Canada in 2011. The comeback could be spectacular.

The Leapmotor B10 and the Stellantis Alliance

Stellantis has acquired a stake in Leapmotor. The B10 is a compact SUV with 210 chevaux, rear-wheel drive, and a 67 kWh battery. Price in Australia? $27,200. That’s more than the $25,000 limit, but it’s still competitive. And Stellantis could sell it under another brand. Dodge? Chrysler? It doesn’t matter. The B10 has everything to appeal to Canadian families.

I look at this list of cars and feel something I can’t quite put my finger on. Envy? Fear? Both? Because these vehicles—they’re good. Really good. Not cheap knockoffs. Not botched imitations. Real electric cars, well-designed, well-equipped, at prices that make your head spin. And I wonder how our automakers will react. Will they lower their prices? Improve their products? Or will they just whine and ask for more subsidies?

When GM Might Start Selling Chinese Cars

The Wuling Bingo S is a small city car with 101 chevaux and a 41.9 kWh battery. Price in China? Less than $10,000. Wuling is part of the SAIC-GM-Wuling alliance. General Motors could technically sell this car in Canada under the Chevrolet brand. Just imagine. A $20,000 electric Chevrolet. Sold at existing GM dealerships. That would change everything.

The ultimate irony

GM has invested billions in electrification. They’ve built factories in Canada. Promised jobs. And now, they might have to import Chinese cars to stay competitive. It’s so absurd it’s almost poetic. Capitalism chasing its own tail. The auto industry cannibalizing itself.

And here, I have to admit something. Part of me thinks it’s brilliant. Cynical, but brilliant. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. GM could use its dealer network to sell rebadged Wulings. It would save jobs at dealerships. It would give Canadians affordable cars. But it would definitely kill the idea that we still manufacture anything here. We’d just become salespeople. Middlemen. Brokers between China and Canadian consumers.

From Threat to Outstretched Hand

A year ago, during the election campaign, Carney called China “the greatest threat to Canada.” Today, he’s shaking hands with Xi Jinping in Beijing and talking about a “strategic partnership.” The turnaround is dramatic. Almost embarrassing. But Carney stands by it. He says we have to navigate the world as it is, not as we’d like it to be.

Pragmatism or capitulation

Carney wants to double exports outside the United States by 2030. He aims to increase exports to China by 50%. It’s ambitious. It’s necessary, he says, in the face of Trump’s tariff threats. But it’s also an admission of powerlessness. We can no longer count on the Americans. So we’re turning to the Chinese. Even if it means sacrificing our auto industry.

I don’t know what to make of Carney. Part of me admires his pragmatism—his courage to do what no one else would dare. But another, darker part of me wonders if we aren’t selling our souls. Because China isn’t just a trading partner. It’s an authoritarian regime. A country that imprisons Uyghurs. That threatens Taiwan. That has arbitrarily detained Canadians. And here we are, opening our doors to them in exchange for canola and cheap cars. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Cars That Are Finally Affordable

For the first time in years, Canadians will have access to truly affordable electric vehicles. Not just promises. Not just concepts. Real cars you can buy for less than $30,000. The BYD Seagull. The Xpeng Mona M03. The Dongfeng Nammi 06. Strange names, sure. But cars that actually work.

The Dilemma of Choice

But here’s the problem. By buying a Chinese car, you’re indirectly supporting a regime you may disagree with. You’re contributing to the loss of Canadian jobs. You’re helping to transform our economy into a service-based economy. Is saving $20,000 worth it? That’s up to you to decide.

I’m putting myself in your shoes. Really. You’re on a tight budget. You have two kids. A mortgage. And you want to do your part for the environment. An electric car is ideal. But at $60,000, it’s out of the question. So when a BYD Seagull comes along for $20,000, what do you do? Do you refuse on principle? Do you go into debt to buy Canadian? Or do you give in and buy Chinese? I’m not judging you. I’d probably be tempted, too. But that doesn’t make the decision any easier.

The End of the Canadian Auto Industry

Let’s be clear. If this agreement holds, if Chinese cars flood the market, the Canadian auto industry as we know it is finished. Oh, there will still be factories. Maybe even Chinese factories. But the idea of making Canadian cars for Canadians is over. We’ll be assembling Chinese parts. We’ll be selling Chinese cars. We’ll have become a branch office.

The Australian Model

Australia has already been through this. Chinese cars have flooded their market. BYD has become a major player. Prices have plummeted. Consumers are happy. But the Australian auto industry has disappeared. Completely. The last local automaker shut down in 2017. Will Canada follow the same path?

I look to the future and see two scenarios. In the first, Chinese cars force our manufacturers to innovate, lower their prices, and become competitive again. Competition drives excellence. In the second, our manufacturers give up, shut down their factories, and lay off their employees. China wins. We lose. Which scenario will come to pass? I’d like to believe in the first one. But my instinct tells me it will be the second. Because history teaches us that when an empire declines, it never truly recovers.

A Historic Turning Point

January 16, 2026, will go down in history. The day Canada officially turned its back on the United States to align itself with China. The day Mark Carney staked the future of our auto industry on cheap electric cars. The day we chose economic pragmatism over democratic principles.

And now

The first Chinese electric vehicles will arrive in a few months. You’ll see them on the streets. At your neighbors’ houses. Maybe even in your own driveway. And at that moment, you’ll realize that something has changed. Profoundly. Irreversibly. The Canada you knew no longer exists. A new Canada is emerging. More pragmatic. More cynical. More Chinese.

I end this column with a strange feeling. Not anger. Not joy. Just a kind of melancholic resignation. Because I understand why Carney did this. I understand the logic. But I can’t help thinking that we’ve just crossed a point of no return. That we’ve sold something important for something temporary. Canola is fine. Cheap cars are fine. But our independence? Our dignity? Our ability to make our own things? That’s what we’ve just lost. And I’m not sure we’ll ever get it back.

Signed, Jacques Provost