Bad news for Canadian consumers planning to buy a Tesla model. The company has announced that the prices of all its vehicles sold in Canada will increase significantly as of February 1.
Leading the way is the Model 3, the price of which will jump by a scary $9,000. That of the Model Y SUV could rise by as much as $4,000. For the Model S sedan and Model X SUV, the increase will be $4,000.
Tesla provided no explanation for the sudden increase. To date, the company has not responded to a Reuters request for information.
This is a major game-changer for the Model 3 and Model Y, which were eligible for the $5,000 federal rebate that was suddenly eliminated last week. Ironically, when rumours of the iZEV being killed first started to fly, Tesla raised the price of these two models by $1,000, making them ineligible for the incentive. Now, with no incentive to keep prices eligible for any EV discount, Tesla has gone with much bigger increases.
All this is happening in a very unsettled American political context, in which Elon Musk is a central figure and very close to power, let’s say. Many are wondering if there's a connection. There have long been questions raised regarding the origin of Tesla vehicles sold in Canada – remember that 100-percent tariffs are imposed on those from China – and we still we don't know exactly where our Teslas come from.
Many will thus be speculating on the reasons behind Tesla's pricing move, especially if the company takes no time to provide an explanation.
In the meantime, if buying a Tesla was on your priority list, it would be a good idea to act before February 1.