- Nissan plans to export China-made EVs from its Dongfeng joint venture to Canada as part of overseas expansion.
- Canada lifted a 100% tariff and opened a 49,000-vehicle low-tariff quota, enabling limited Chinese EV imports.
- Nissan targets 100,000 annual exports from China initially, scaling toward 300,000 to cut costs and speed EV development.
On May 19, Nissan Motor is weighing the possibility of exporting new energy vehicles produced by its Chinese joint venture factories to the Canadian market, according to a Bloomberg report.
Christian Meunier, chairman of Nissan Americas, said in an interview that Nissan hopes to leverage new energy products jointly developed with Dongfeng Motor to expand into overseas markets including Brazil and Mexico, with Canada also under consideration.
However, he did not disclose specific export models or launch timing, only stating that related plans are currently under development.
The move comes amid recent policy adjustments by Canada regarding Chinese-made electric vehicles.
In January this year, the Canadian government announced the removal of the additional 100% tariff previously imposed on Chinese EVs, while introducing an annual low-tariff quota of 49,000 vehicles.
In March, applications opened for the first batch of 24,500 quota units, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, with validity extending through the end of August.
Although the annual quota of 49,000 vehicles is relatively limited — accounting for less than 3% of Canada’s total vehicle sales last year — it still represents a new export opportunity for many automakers.
Over the past several years, Nissan’s presence in the global EV market has continued to weaken.
On one hand, product renewal cycles have been relatively slow, while on the other, the company has struggled with the cost competitiveness of its EV lineup.
By contrast, China has already developed a mature EV supply chain ecosystem. From batteries and intelligent hardware to overall vehicle manufacturing costs, China now holds clear advantages.
Meunier also directly stated that Nissan hopes to leverage lower manufacturing costs and faster EV development efficiency from its Chinese factories to improve global competitiveness.
Currently, the N7 all-electric sedan jointly developed by Nissan and Dongfeng, along with the Frontier Pro electric pickup, have already been included in the first batch of export models targeting Latin American markets.
Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa revealed that the company plans to gradually expand complete vehicle exports from its China operations, with an initial annual export target of 100,000 units, eventually increasing to 300,000 units.
Notably, the Canadian market has recently begun seeing more China-made vehicles entering the country.
Earlier this month, the first batch of China-built Lotus Eletre SUVs bound for Canada departed from Shanghai Port.
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