Canadians who already plan to buy an electric car are putting off the purchase until more Chinese models show up. That's the finding of a survey commissioned by Clean Energy Canada, as reported by Electrek, and it's an awkward signal for Western automakers selling EVs in the country.
The numbers are simple. Some 48% of Canadians surveyed said they were likely to make their next vehicle an EV. Of those, 42% said they wanted to "wait for more Chinese EVs to become available." Put another way, a big slice of the people most ready to buy is deliberately sitting on the sidelines.
Why the door opened
Canada once matched the 100% tariff the US put on Chinese EVs. That changed after trade tensions with Washington and a Chinese tariff on Canadian canola, which pushed some provinces to lobby for a deal. The result is an agreement allowing 49,000 Chinese EVs into Canada per year, and the first have begun to arrive.
The supply is still thin, though. Only about 16,000 Chinese EVs have been imported so far, well short of this year's quota. Companies are still building distribution networks, and Electrek reports that more models are expected next year. Tesla (TSLA), which already had a network in place, has reportedly used up its allocation.
What the survey doesn't tell us
We have only Electrek's account of the survey. The write-up doesn't give the sample size, the margin of error or the exact question wording, and we haven't seen the original results from Clean Energy Canada, so treat 42% as a stated intention, not a sales forecast. People who say they'll wait often end up buying whatever is on the lot when their old car dies. Electrek also notes that shoppers may be overestimating how cheap Chinese EVs will be, since Canadian prices will be higher than prices in China.
It's also unclear why these buyers want to wait. The reporting doesn't say whether they're after lower prices, a newer kind of product, or something else, and it doesn't quote any respondents on the point.
The outlet's own view is that Western brands have hurt themselves by lobbying against EVs and cancelling models this year, and that American-linked brands face unusually negative opinion in Canada. That is Electrek's reading, not something the survey itself is shown to prove. Electrek's piece, as we read it, carries no response from Ford, GM, any Chinese automaker or an independent market analyst, so how the industry sees these waiting buyers is still unanswered.
What to watch
The test comes next year, when more Chinese models arrive and the quota starts to bind. If the waiting crowd converts, Ford and GM will feel it first. If prices land higher than hoped, some of that patience may evaporate.
Would you wait a year for a cheaper, newer EV, or take what's on the lot today?
Sources
Reported by the WattsUpNext desk from the sources linked below. Spot an error? Tell us at corrections@wattsupnext.com.
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