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Chinese EV maker BYD in talks to open Canadian dealerships, consultant says

cig-nature | 2026-03-19 00:56 | 205 views

BYD wants to establish 20 dealerships within a year, starting in the Toronto area, followed by Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary

Comments (38)
BigDaddyVagabond 2026-03-19 00:58

Ngl, the Shark 6 is a tempting option. Especially with the 120L tank upgrade

Dry_System9339 2026-03-19 01:19

Do we really need to keep having dealerships?

ImpressiveMove1571 2026-03-19 01:30

What else would you propose? I don’t think any local shops would be capable of repairing a BYD.

Ok-Entertainment6043 2026-03-19 01:50

It’s already happening. Who thought the cars would just be dropped off at the port parking lot.

things_most_foul 2026-03-19 02:01

I just saw a video of the BYD compact hybrid Motorhome. It looks amazing. Full solar and the roof lifts up to make a rooftop patio, plus small enough to use normal parking spots.

Dangerous_Position79 2026-03-19 02:30

The Tesla model. Order online, pick it up at the service centre. No haggling or ridiculous talk with the finance guy. Mobile service in your driveway/garage for basic stuff.

noocasrene 2026-03-19 02:50

What they need is a store front like tesla, where you still buy like Tesla but you just go there to test drive with a garage in the back.

yyctownie 2026-03-19 03:18

Who would we despise if we didn't?

tenerific 2026-03-19 03:18

Exactly this, dealerships are an unnecessary middleman that only exist to bilk more money out of you.

Berkut22 2026-03-19 03:30

Especially considering how little maintenance EVs need compared to ICE vehicles.

Berkut22 2026-03-19 03:43

I've been looking at getting a new car for a few years now, and every time I look at whats offered here, and how much even the entry models cost, I give up looking until my old car starts making distressing noises again. If BYD starts selling here, I'll be the first in line to buy one.

Dangerous_Sea2397 2026-03-19 04:59

What they *really* need is a big vending machine, where we can just out money in, and a car comes out of the flap in the bottom.

Potential-Ninja-7075 2026-03-19 05:25

The single largest lobby in the auto dispute are the dealerships. They DGAF that china is entering the market, as long as they can be the unnecessary middleman in the sale. They are like realtors, desperate for relevance in a changing world.

TyrusX 2026-03-19 05:42

I believe my wife will be the first in line, so please excuse her

robbhope 2026-03-19 05:50

Thx for this! Gonna check it out.

N0_Cure 2026-03-19 06:27

I can’t wait to submit my digital ID and weekly canuckbux ration ticket at the government run grocery store to purchase a pack of desiccated mealworm protein husks for $80, then drive home in my mobile spyware machine so that I can watch the daily 𝖢̶𝖡̶𝖢̶ CCP news while my car relays my most recent driving route to TEMU to optimize my purchasing algorithm. What a glorious time to be alive.

DisastrousFox6467 2026-03-19 06:46

No, you'd rather Palantir collect that data and send it to Trump and Epstein's colleagues instead, I take it?

WardedGromit 2026-03-19 08:29

Pretty sure just by the fact you are on the grid enough to type that comment means they and many other companies already have all the info you just referenced. Also your beloved private grocery stores are currently the ones pushing for digital ID checkoutless purchasing as well as live price adjustments based in demand so you know. They can jack the price of soup on you as soon as you turn down the isle. Corpo cyber future is just as messed up as authoritarian oppressive government future. Maybe China selling cars here will have the same effect that selling...literally everything else they already sell here did.

crimxxx 2026-03-19 11:21

Makes sense to me. Order of cities also seems reasonable Toronto and Vancouver seem like the obvious places. Montreal and Calgary after seem decent just going by size, although I don’t feel evs are hugely popular in Calgary at the moment, but it certainly has the population and people with money, so if it’s enticing enough I’m sure they can make some progress here.

Fit-Eggplant-9155 2026-03-19 12:18

I mean, it's similar to clothing stores... sometimes you wanna try before you buy... and vehicles are much more difficult to return if you don't like the fit or the feel. They don't give you a box to go the post office with.

rapidpalsy 2026-03-19 12:50

Actual realtors

CheeseSandwich 2026-03-19 13:02

Getting rid of dealerships. They add nothing to the process of buying a vehicle and are an unnecessary middle man.

ImpressiveMove1571 2026-03-19 13:11

How do I test drive one? Seriously asking.

CheeseSandwich 2026-03-19 13:30

That should be part of the model. Test drive centres like Tesla. No dealers. This model needs to die. Direct to customer.

Specific-Answer3590 2026-03-19 13:38

Their 20-25k range in other countries seem very promising. Highly doubt we’d see those prices + the 6% tariff but I’d be very tempted if we see something close to that

Consistent_Price8747 2026-03-19 13:41

At least clothing stores are standardized across a brand. You don't have one Zara charging extra fees or making it mandatory to buy an accessory.

Fit-Eggplant-9155 2026-03-19 15:25

Sure, but different brands tend to size slightly different, with the rise of independent/knockoff brands it becomes more and more of a gamble buying clothing online. At the same time I've never bought a new car so I am unaware of any accessories that are mandatory to purchase.

TruckerMark 2026-03-19 15:29

Why can't independent shops fix them? They just need a system to get paid from the OEM for warranty work.

YqlUrbanist 2026-03-19 15:53

I've basically been holding off on buying a new car waiting on BYD (or something comparable from another manufacturer but I'm not holding my breath on that). The BYD Dolphin is basically my ideal car - \~$35K (going by the price in Australia) for a car with 400+km of range.

Unhappy_Knowledge993 2026-03-19 18:04

Considering they outsold Ford by more than 200,000 units in 2025 worldwide, the likelihood of success is higher now.

CMG30 2026-03-19 18:18

EVs with over 800km range and can recharge to 97% in less than 12 minutes, even in the winter? ...yup. sign me up.

cig-nature 2026-03-19 18:29

Don't forget the Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) adapter, and the electric grill.

RepresentativeFact94 2026-03-19 20:00

I have a feeling realtors will be 99% gone in the next 10 years due to AI.

Dangerous_Position79 2026-03-19 22:06

Tesla has demo models you can test drive or check out at the service centre. You can buy the demo models with small mileage for a small discount. This is a non issue

Fit-Eggplant-9155 2026-03-19 22:08

So... they have a dealership?

Dangerous_Position79 2026-03-19 22:11

Sure, a dealership that's totally different from every other dealership. Where there's barely any staff and you'll have to buy online anyway. Where they don't make commissions. Where the building is 90% service centre for actual work and a relatively modest space to check out the vehicles

Troyd 2026-03-19 22:40

Demand going to inflate the shit out of these

Savac0 2026-03-19 23:58

Hope so

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