Slate has no plans to sell its no-frills electric pickup truck and SUV in Canada.
As reported by Automotive News Canada this week, a spokesperson for Slate indicated that “we do not plan to sell vehicles in Canada.” There was no reason given to accompany that statement.
Are Canadian counter-tariffs to blame?
That doesn’t stop us from speculating, of course. And an obvious reason may be the current counter-tariffs tariffs imposed by the Canadian government on American-made vehicles, which make the upstart EV maker’s business plan less viable north of the border.
And that’s a shame, because the all-electric pickup is being conceived to be highly affordable. That said, interest might have been lower in Canada, given the lower value of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar, and that’s before considering the counter-tariffs.
We should note that Slate's assembly and manufacturing plant is located in Warsaw, Indiana.
Starting at just $24,950 in the U.S.
Interest has been strong for Slate’s pickup since its initial unveiling in the spring of 2025, in fact it has picked up even further in recent weeks. Clearly, the EV maker struck a chord with its low-base-price approach. The company last week officially announced a starting price of $24,950 USD for the American market, which is roughly $35,400 CAD.
In addition to the pickup, Slate is also launching a small electric SUV that is just as minimalist. Its entry price sits at $29,950 USD, which translates to roughly $42,500 CAD.
No dealerships for the time being
Slate plans to sell directly to consumers through the manufacturer, bypassing a traditional franchised dealership network. Essentially, the automaker is drawing inspiration from the business model used by Tesla and Rivian.