- Chery postponed its Canada debut to early 2027, shifting the Jaecoo ET and Omoda launches to allow additional cold-weather adaptation and regulatory certification work.
- The Jaecoo ET for Canada uses an 800V EOX platform, 100kWh battery, dual-motor AWD, CCS1 charging initially, and has a five‑star European crash test rating.
- Chery will compete with Tesla, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, BYD and Geely, but faces quota timing, tariff exposure, Transport Canada certification and connector and production scaling risks.
Chery Automobile is preparing to launch its first electric vehicles in Canada, with the Jaecoo ET expected to go on sale next year, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
Chery’s Omoda and Jaecoo brands are now targeting an early 2027 launch in Canada, later than the previously planned timeline of late 2026.
Product development for the Canadian market is focused on adapting vehicles to the country’s cold-weather conditions.
The Jaecoo ET supplied to Canada will come with features including heated seats, a heated windshield and intelligent air suspension.
Zhang Guibing, Chery’s executive vice president of international business, said in an interview that Canadian consumers have strong demand for features such as heated steering wheels, heated windshields and heated seats. The company is adapting its vehicles to local climate conditions, he said.
Zhang also said Chery has the engineering capabilities to develop vehicles that meet stringent international safety standards.
The model has received a five-star safety rating from a European vehicle crash-testing organization.
According to the report, the Canadian-market ET is based on the Exeed ET currently sold in China.
It uses Chery’s 800V EOX all-electric platform and is equipped with a 100kWh battery pack and a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system.
The Canadian version of the ET will initially use a CCS1 charging port rather than Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS).
Chery said the NACS connector would be introduced on subsequent models, as there was insufficient time to incorporate it into the initial launch.
Following the Jaecoo ET, Chery also plans to introduce the smaller Jaecoo 5 EV in Canada. The model is expected to arrive several months after the ET, subject to certification by Transport Canada.
However, product readiness is only one factor in Chery’s Canadian market entry. Import rules will directly affect the launch schedule and pricing of its vehicles.
Under Canada’s tariff-rate quota arrangement for China-made electric vehicles, vehicles covered by an allocated quota can enter the country at the 6.1% most-favoured-nation tariff rate, rather than face the higher surtax.
The first quota period covers 49,000 vehicles and runs through February 28, 2027.
According to data published by the Global Affairs Canada as of November 6, 16,206 quota units had been used, leaving 32,794 available.
Quota utilization has slowed considerably since the second six-month period began on September 1, 2026.
Only 603 units were used in September, while no additional utilization was recorded in October.
Chery’s planned launch of the Jaecoo ET in early 2027 falls close to the end of the first quota period and the start of the next one.
Beyond importing vehicles, Chery is also assessing the possibility of local production in Canada.
Zhang said the Canadian market would offer a viable case for manufacturing investment even if the company were unable to enter the US market in the future.
In Canada, Chery will face established brands such as Tesla, Ford, Hyundai and Kia, as well as Chinese automakers including BYD and Geely, which are also preparing to enter the market.
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