Transport Canada has added two Geely plants in China to its registry of foreign manufacturers precleared to import vehicles, a step toward the Chinese carmaker’s planned 2027 retail launch in Canada.
Canada replaced its 100% surtax on Chinese-built EVs with a quota in January, allowing 49,000 vehicles in the first year at the 6.1% most-favored-nation tariff.
Of those, 16,206 had been used and 32,794 remained as of the October 30 Global Affairs Canada report. Imports have stalled, with none recorded in October.
The department’s Appendix G registry lists Zhejiang Haoqing Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd., a Geely manufacturing entity, at sites in Guiyang City and Taizhou City for the passenger-car class, a search of the live list showed on Thursday.
Appendix G does not name models. The Guiyang and Taizhou factories build Geely’s EX5 electric SUV and Starray EM-i plug-in hybrid SUV, two of the brand’s main export models, Automotive News Canada, which first reported the additions, said on Thursday.
Transport Canada does not publish registration dates. Automotive News Canada said the plants were added “recently.”
The department’s open-data copy of the same list, regenerated at 10 a.m. GMT on Thursday, still showed only one Haoqing passenger-car entry, at 88 Geely Avenue with Chengdu given as its city, and no Guiyang or Taizhou sites. That suggests the open-data file has not yet caught up with the live registry.
When EV searched the registry in March, Geely and its brands returned no passenger-car results by name, and BYD was the only Chinese carmaker listed for consumer vehicles.
What Appendix G Allows
Appendix G is Transport Canada’s list of foreign manufacturers whose new, Canadian-specification vehicles can enter through a simplified commercial preclearance path.
It covers importers bringing in fewer than 2,500 vehicles a year. Importers above that volume use a separate list, Appendix F, Transport Canada says.
Automakers “must complete the applicable certification testing” before a plant can be registered, Transport Canada told Automotive News Canada. That indicates at least two Geely models have met Canadian safety standards. Geely Auto Canada told the publication its product road map remains confidential.
Geely could pursue other federal preclearance routes to import more than 2,500 vehicles a year, the outlet said.
Geely’s 2027 Timeline
Geely Auto said on October 9 that it had entered the Canadian market and would bring its first vehicles to consumers in 2027.
“Canada represents an important next step in Geely Auto’s international growth,” said Bryan Wu, Managing Director of Geely Auto Canada. “We know that trust is earned over time, and we are committed to earning it here.”
Geely said a Canadian team is in place and that it is developing a retail and service network with “highly trusted and experienced partners.” It has not named models, prices, dealers or a launch month.
A Geely EX5 wearing Ontario manufacturer plates was filmed in Toronto-area traffic in late August, three months after the group flew two test vehicles into Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Other Chinese Plants on the List
The live registry also lists BYD Auto Co., Ltd. passenger-car plants in Shenzhen and Xi’an. BYD’s commercial arm is registered separately for buses and trucks.
Searches for Chery, SAIC, XPeng, Dongfeng, Leapmotor, Great Wall, GAC, Changan, Nio, Zeekr and Lynk & Co returned no Chinese plants on Thursday. Tesla does not appear under its own name.
Geely’s affiliates are already there. Polestar Performance AB lists plants in Chengdu and Taizhou, China, as well as South Carolina and South Korea. Wuhan Lotus Cars Co., Ltd. is registered for multipurpose vehicles at a site in Wuhan.
Affiliates Already Selling
Zhejiang Geely Holding already sells in Canada through Volvo, Polestar and Lotus, and Polestar and Lotus have used Ottawa’s China quota to import China-built vehicles.
Geely’s Zeekr began hiring in Canada this spring, and Geely filed Canadian trademarks for Lynk & Co in June, Automotive News Canada reported.
Chery‘s Omoda & Jaecoo website had pointed to a late-2026 arrival before a Chery executive told Reuters the launch would come early next year. BYD Canada’s site still says “coming soon.”
Two Caps Still Bind
The quota rises 6.5% a year, to 52,185 vehicles from March 1, 2027. From that year, 10% of quota imports must have a free-on-board value of C$35,000 ($24,900) or less, rising to 50% by 2030.
Global Affairs Canada issues permits on a first-come, first-served basis but says it monitors applications to ensure equitable access, and it can set aside volume for automakers, including new entrants.
Even with Guiyang and Taizhou registered, Geely’s imports through Appendix G remain capped below 2,500 vehicles a year unless it uses another preclearance route, and every vehicle still needs a quota permit.
