EV maker Tesla has been forced to increase its car prices in Canada – by between $C10,000 and $C30,000 – thanks to the tariff war triggered by Tesla CEO’s best buddy and immediate boss, Donald Trump.
Tesla had already been struggling to sell its EVs in Canada this year, due to the antipathy towards Musk and his close ties to Trump, who appears hellbent on making Canada the 51st US state – a move that has already caused some governments to exclude the company from EV rebate schemes.
In response to the United States’ imposing tariffs on Canadian imports, Canada has retaliated with 25 per cent tariffs on imports of certain goods from the United States, including steel and aluminium products and auto imports.
US-based Electrek has calculated the price increases in Canada at between 13 and 22 per cent. It also compiled a complete list of the price changes (all prices in Canadian Dollars):
- Model 3 Long Range AWD
- Old Price: $68,990
- New Price: $79,990
- Price Increase: $11,000 (16%)
- Model 3 Performance
- Old Price: $79,990
- New Price: $89,990
- Price Increase: $10,000 (13%)
- Model Y Long Range AWD
- Old Price: $69,990
- New Price: $84,990
- Price Increase: $15,000 (21%)
- Model S Long Range AWD
- Old Price: $114,990
- New Price: $133,990
- Price Increase: $19,000 (17%)
- Model S Plaid
- Old Price: $136,990
- New Price: $154,990
- Price Increase: $18,000 (13%)
- Model X Long Range AWD
- Old Price: $121,990
- New Price: $140,990
- Price Increase: $19,000 (16%)
- Model X Plaid
- Old Price: $142,990
- New Price: $161,990
- Price Increase: $19,000 (13%)
- Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD
- Old Price: $114,990
- New Price: $139,990
- Price Increase: $25,000 (22%)
- Cybertruck Tri-Motor Cyberbeast
- Old Price: $137,990
- New Price: $167,990
- Price Increase: $30,000 (22%)
The increased pricing is only for newly imported models, with cars that had already been imported into Canada remaining at the “pre-tariff pricing”.
It contrasts to the situation in Australia, where Tesla has announced some dramatic discounts – up to $9,000 – on inventory stock of the legacy Model Y, and particularly the long range AWD version – ahead of the start of deliveries of the refreshed version of the world’s best selling EV in May.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.