nfitz
Superstar
Do we still import many cars from Japan?
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Canadian Dealers Want To Import Cars Americans Can’t Buy
- Thread starter Admiral Beez
- Start date
afransen
Senior Member
I couldn't say. My Mazda 3 was made there, per the VIN.
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lenaitch
Senior Member
Here's a bit of a summary. Both Mazda and Toyota heavily weigh to homeland production.
SashaLemon
Active Member
The Seagull is available in Australia and Europe. (Where they call it the Dolphin Surf). It has a 5 star Euro NCAP and ANCAP rating. It's quite a bit larger then a Smart Fortwo, as it's a four door car. It's larger then a Fiat 500e but smaller then a VW iD3.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
These are cheap ($23,000CAD in Australia!), but they have a 220km WLTP Range. Which means it's north american rating (generally considered more accurate) is 190km. And when you generally want to stay between 10 and 90% charge.. that's 150km. And you better hope you don't need to get on the highway or that will drop quick!
It's not as innovatively cheap as you may expect for this reason. Mitsubishi was selling Mirages for $17k before they killed them, if they switched the little gas engine out for a little 30kwh battery (cost of $3-4,000 at current market rates), it would sell for $23k easily too!
There is a reason they don't though, and that's because there is an absolute graveyard of low-range EV models out there.. most recently the Fiat 500e. And a total graveyard of subcompact cars too.
SashaLemon
Active Member
The range is low for sure, but for some people who don't need a huge range, it could be worth it as long as it's actually cheap. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it does not look like Australia has huge rebates on buying an EV. That's the price without incentive. In Canada, the 2026 Fiat 500e starts at $35,390, but only if you include the $5,000 Federal EVAP incentive. I think Fiat tried to MSRP price the car at something like $40k! The numbers are a bit all over the place but you get the idea, yeah the range is similar to the Fiat 500e, but the difference is that it's way cheaper, so it may find a buyer. It's cheaper then the 2025 Fiat 500e also, even with steep discounts.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
I suspect they will be popular in Quebec and maybe in Downtown Toronto and Vancouver, but that they will sell few to none of them elsewhere in the country. Sort of like all the existing compact and sub-compact short-range EVs which have been sold over the years.
lenaitch
Senior Member
Probably; although even some folks in small/medium cities keep a 'town car' rather than run errands in the truck/SUV. Their big stopper will be dealer network. You can sort of get away with owning an ICE vehicle with no dealer around because most indy shops can do the majority of service and parts are available for aftermarket suppliers and/or dealers by delivery. Not so with electrics - yet. No indy shop I have dealt with is trained or equipped to do other than the most basic of services on an EV.
lenaitch
Senior Member
Probably; although even some folks in small/medium cities keep a 'town car' rather than run errands in the truck/SUV. Their big stopper will be dealer network. You can sort of get away with owning an ICE vehicle with no dealer around because most indy shops can do the majority of service and parts are available for aftermarket suppliers and/or dealers by delivery. Not so with electrics - yet. No indy shop I have dealt with is trained or equipped to do other than the most basic of services on an EV.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
people say this but the reality is that people want some more flexibility in use, and outside of the largest cities a 150km effective range vehicle isn't useful as it means you basically can't leave town with it. The frequency you run into that issue for a second car may be low, but it would be frequent enough for people to find other options at similar cost. At the $20,000 budget range most are looking on the used market anyway, especially if you are looking for a low-mileage city car.
lenaitch
Senior Member
Probably; although even some folks in small/medium cities keep a 'town car' rather than run errands in the truck/SUV. Their big stopper will be dealer network. You can sort of get away with owning an ICE vehicle with no dealer around because most indy shops can do the majority of service and parts are available for aftermarket suppliers and/or dealers by delivery. Not so with electrics - yet. No indy shop I have dealt with is trained or equipped to do other than the most basic of services on an EV.
Even over time, is will also partially depend on how service 'friendly' they are. Some brands have a reputation of being 'dealer queens', either from a heavy reliance on specialized tools, parts or knowledge.
Edit: No clue why it did a double post. I had trouble loading.
nfitz
Superstar
There is a delete button that is there long, long, after you post.
lenaitch
Senior Member
Purely anecdotal, but I am in near a city of about 52K with a CMA of about 70K and it is fairly common to have a small 'second vehicle' for local running about. Not necessarily a micro or EV, and often the 'spouse's' car for running around. It may never leave town. Often, hubby is in the trades and/or they need something big enough to haul the boat/RV/MSVs.
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urbanclient
Active Member
The infotainment needing replacement is not a unique thing to Tesla, nor is it uniquely bad with Tesla. AFAIK the cost isn't unique high for Tesla either.
New car sales are apparently averaging above $60k if you believe it. (Does the average person buy used?) Even cars in the $40-50k range commonly have gigantic screens.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
The average car on the road is around 11-12 years old, which means half of vehicles are older than that. So if you have a 10-year old car, congrats, you have a younger than normal car! And that age is just getting older - there are around 27 million cars in Canada but Canadians only buy around 1.9 million new cars a year (a replacement time of 14 years).
The reality is that the new car market is mostly restricted to the top 20% of incomes or so these days (obviously not universally). It's a nature of cars lasting longer, used cars hold value longer and offer practical choices longer.
It's a big reason the budget car market has collapsed, because those who have a $20,000 car budget are better off buying a used car which sold for $40,000 5 years ago than buying a much less practical, and just as reliable, new car. Like, would you like a BYD Seagull or a Civic Hatchback which is far more practical and spacious with a lot more features?