A second Chery sub-brand has been spotted on Toronto streets, days after the Chinese automaker flew “nearly two dozen” Canadian dealership representatives to the Beijing Auto Show in what is the most aggressive Chinese-automaker push for the Canadian market.
The Exeed Sterra ES — sold internationally under the Exlantix ES nameplate — was photographed in Toronto over the weekend, marking the second Chery sub-brand sighted in the city in less than two weeks.
The flagship fully electric sedan from Chery‘s premium Exeed brand follows last week’s sighting of four Omoda & Jaecoo vehicles, including the all-electric J5, near Toronto’s Don Valley Parkway.
The pictures were shared on social media by X user ‘SimplyGregster.’
Bloomberg reported on Friday that Chery brought nearly two dozen representatives of Canadian dealerships to the Beijing Auto Show, citing an interview with Chairman Yin Tongyue.
“We are working to establish a sales network in Canada,” Yin told Bloomberg.
The ‘Chery International Business Summit’, running from April 24 through April 28, has gathered over 4,000 international guests in Wuhu and Beijing, including EV and the Canadian dealership delegation.
Two Sub-Brands, One Strategy
The Sterra ES sighting confirms that Chery‘s Canadian rollout will not be limited to the Omoda and Jaecoo mass-market sub-brands.
Exeed sits at the premium end of Chery‘s portfolio.
The Sterra ES is offered with battery options up to 97.7 kilowatt-hours, with CATL supplying the top-trim pack that delivers up to 905 kilometers (562 miles) of range on the CLTC cycle.
The all-wheel-drive variant produces 345 kilowatts and 634 newton-metres of torque, sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, and runs on an 800-volt architecture enabling 420-kilowatt DC fast charging.
The Omoda and Jaecoo sub-brands target a younger, mass-market segment, with the J5 EV positioned as the volume model. The Omoda 9 sits a tier above as a premium SUV.
Chery‘s Canadian trademark filings cover all of its export-focused brands: Exeed, ICAUR, Lepas, Luxeed, and Omoda & Jaecoo.
The Chery name itself cannot be used in North America due to a longstanding dispute with General Motors, which argues the name is too similar to its Chevrolet “Chevy” brand.
Dealer Tour Marks Strategic Escalation
Bringing prospective dealer principals to a manufacturer’s home auto show is a long-standing playbook used by automakers to convert interest into dealer franchise commitments.
By staging the trip around the Beijing Auto Show, Chery showcased to the Canadian guests its full international brand matrix — Chery, Exeed, ICAUR, Omoda & Jaecoo, Lepas, and Luxeed — alongside 15 globally debuting models.
The push follows months of behind-the-scenes Canadian operation-building.
Chery began contacting Canadian auto-industry professionals on LinkedIn in January, posting roles covering complete vehicle engineering, safety, electronic and electrical architecture, intelligent driving systems, and regulatory certification.
The company has also begun preparing a Toronto-area office.
In March, Chery issued its first official statement on a Canadian entry, confirming it is “closely studying” the market and “evaluating partnerships with local stakeholders.”
The Tariff Backdrop
Chery‘s Canadian push was made possible by a January 16 trade deal struck between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Beijing during a state visit, which lowered Canada’s tariff on Chinese-built EVs from 106.1% to 6.1% under a quota system permitting 49,000 imports annually.
The first tranche of 24,500 import permits covers March 1 through August 31, 2026, with a second tranche of equal size covering September 2026 through February 2027.
The annual cap is set to rise to 70,000 by 2030.
Political Resistance Continues
Chery‘s escalating activity comes despite continued political opposition to the trade deal.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province is the heart of Canada’s automotive industry, has called for a Canada-wide boycott of Chinese-made EVs and previously labeled the incoming vehicles “spy vehicles.”
Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union, has opposed the agreement on the grounds that it puts Canadian auto jobs at risk.
The deal has also drawn US scrutiny. President Donald Trump initially said Carney “had to make” the deal, before later warning that the US would impose 100% tariffs on all Canadian imports if Ottawa signs a free-trade agreement with Beijing.
The USMCA renegotiation is scheduled to begin later this year.
Chery sold approximately 2.8 million passenger cars globally in 2025 — over 900,000 of them new energy vehicles — and has set a 2026 sales target of 3.2 million units.
The company plans to launch 17 key models this year as part of its global expansion across more than 130 countries.
