Zeekr Targets Canada With 49,000 EVs as Tariffs Drop to 6%
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Sep 2
Zeekr Targets Canada With 49,000 EVs as Tariffs Drop to 6%
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Sep 2
Summary
49,000 Chinese EVs are set to enter Canada in the first year under a January deal signed by Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Xi Jinping, giving Zeekr a North American entry point.
Canadian tariffs on those imports will fall from 100% to 6%, a pricing shift that could let Chinese brands challenge Tesla, GM and Ford in a market equal to nearly 25% of Canada’s 2025 EV sales.
Zeekr is betting on low prices and high-spec vehicles, including its 9X plug-in hybrid priced around $70,000 with a 745-mile combined range and 0-100 kph acceleration in four seconds.
At its Ningbo plant, which opened in 2023 and is 99% automated, Zeekr says Chinese EV quality now rivals or exceeds U.S. models as it expands beyond more than 50 countries.
The Canada opening offers a test case for Chinese automakers near the U.S. market, which still blocks Chinese vehicles on national-security and domestic-industry grounds.