Transport Canada has added two of Geely’s Chinese assembly plants to its list of foreign vehicle manufacturers pre-cleared to import passenger vehicles into Canada. And why is this administrative move, first reported by Automotive News Canada, interesting, you ask?
Well, it’s because the facilities, located in Guiyang City and Taizhou City, currently build the EX5 all-electric vehicle and the Starray EM-i plug-in-hybrid model. And it happens that those two SUVs have spearheaded Geely’s entry into other markets, notably Europe, the UK and Australia.
Getting pre-approval for the plants that produce those models thus serves as a healthy hint that Geely will follow the same strategy for Canada.
Volume over margin
While they don’t deliver the same kind of profit margin higher-end models would, the two compact crossovers would be entering Canada’s most popular vehicle segment and allow the brand to target high-volume sales instead.
Geely EX5
The EX5 sells in China for the equivalent of between $20,000 and $29,000 CAD, but we won’t be seeing those kinds of numbers repeated here. In Australia, Geely sells the EX5 commands for upwards of the equivalent of $45,000 CAD, which is probably closer to what Canada will get. As a point of comparison, the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV starts at $46,199 in Canada.
The Australian EX5 offers a WLTP-rated range of up to 475 km, which works out to just over 400 km as per EPA testing. Again, in comparison, the Chevrolet Equinox EV delivers up to 513 km of range.
Geely Starray EM-i
The Starray EM-i is equipped with an 18.4-kWh or 29.8-kWh LFP battery paired with a 1.5L 4-cylinder gas engine. Electric range is estimated (according to EPA testing) at 71 km and 116 km depending on battery size and drivetrain – which places it ahead of the Toyota RAV PHEV, the current range champion among plug-in hybrids currently sold in Canada.
Geely currently sells this model in Australia at the equivalent of between $36,000 and $44,000 CAD.
As Automotive News reports, initial imports will be subject to Transport Canada’s 2,500-vehicle pre-clearance cap per plant and Ottawa’s national limit of 49,000 Chinese electrified vehicles for the year ending in March 2027.