Chery's Omoda and Jaecoo launch Canadian website, first Chinese automaker to promise a 2026 debut

Chery Automobile (HKG: 9973) has added Canada to the official website of its Omoda and Jaecoo brands, publishing a bilingual English and French page that tells Canadians the two brands are "coming late 2026." The move follows BYD (HKG: 1211), which put up its own Canadian website with a "Coming Soon" message on August 26, 2026.

Together, the two pages are the first brand-owned consumer channels in Canada for two of China's largest automakers, eight months after Ottawa cut the tariff on China-built EVs to 6.1% under a 49,000-vehicle annual quota. Neither site lists a model, a Canadian price or a dealer address yet.

The Omoda and Jaecoo site describes the lineup as premium electrified vehicles designed for modern Canadian life and invites visitors to sign up for launch updates. Its imagery leans on lakes, mountains and a snow-packed road rather than on specific vehicles. A footer disclaimer notes that vehicles intended for other markets are shown and that Canadian specifications, design and features may differ.

A Find a Retailer page is live but empty. It states that the brands are building a network across Canada and will announce locations in the lead-up to launch. The site also carries a careers link and an About Us page claiming export sales above 1.2 million units within three years, across more than 75 countries and regions.

Cabin image from the "Intuitive" panel on the new Canadian homepage; the model shown is not identified (Omoda & Jaecoo)

BYD's Canadian page follows a similar template. It features explainers on the company's Flash Charging system and e4 platform and an explicit notice that the site does not support purchases, leases, reservations or deposits. At the same time, BYD posted 11 management roles in Canada, including head of sales and legal counsel, with head-office positions listed in Markham, Ontario.

The Chery brands' page goes one step further by naming a launch window. BYD has not given a Canadian launch date. In late May 2026, BYD said it had "not announced, approved, or confirmed" plans to launch passenger vehicles in Canada, after an imposter account posing as executive vice-president Stella Li circulated claims of a late-2026 launch, more than 20 dealerships and specific models. Global News retracted a story built on those posts.

What is on the record for BYD comes largely from the dealer side. Farid Ahmad, CEO of Markham-based Dealer Solutions Mergers & Acquisitions, told The Globe and Mail in March 2026 that BYD had asked his firm to help find up to 20 locations for its first year, starting in the Greater Toronto Area before Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary. Electric Autonomy Canada has reported that BYD is the only Chinese automaker without an existing Canadian presence that already holds pre-clearance on Transport Canada's List of Recognized Vehicle Importers.

Chery's Canadian groundwork has been visible since January. Recruiters began approaching Canadian auto industry veterans for Omoda and Jaecoo roles shortly after the January 16, 2026 trade arrangement, with a head office planned for the Toronto area. In March, a Chery spokesperson told Electric Autonomy Canada that the company was evaluating a range of pathways, including partnerships with local stakeholders.

By late April 2026, Omoda and Jaecoo J5 vehicles had been photographed in a Toronto parking lot, and Chery brought nearly 20 Canadian dealers to the Beijing auto show that month. Chery International executive vice-president Charlie Zhang reportedly told Driving.ca that the company planned to be ready to sell in Canada in the fourth quarter of 2026, starting with two battery-electric models in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. Chery has not publicly named those models, and the new site does not either.

Lifestyle image from the Canadian About Us page; no model or Canadian specification has been confirmed (Omoda & Jaecoo)

The "late 2026" wording on the Canadian site is the first time that timeline has appeared on a Chery-owned Canadian channel. It matches what Chery executives have signalled to industry observers, with sales subject to regulatory approvals.

The timing matters because of the quota. Canada's arrangement with China allows 49,000 China-built EVs a year at the 6.1% most-favoured-nation rate, split into two six-month windows and allocated first-come, first-served. Only 15,603 vehicles entered during the first window, which ran from March 1 to August 31, 2026.

The 8,897 unused permits carried forward, lifting the current window to 33,397 vehicles through February 28, 2027. Permits are issued per shipment, can be requested up to 30 days before entry, and are open only to Canadian residents and automakers, or to agents acting for foreign automakers.

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has been the main beneficiary so far, shipping Shanghai-built Model 3s to Canada since May 2026, with smaller volumes from Lotus, Polestar and Lincoln. Any Chinese-brand newcomer launching in late 2026 would draw from that same pool.

Unlike BYD, Chery has not said publicly where its Transport Canada certification stands, and neither company has confirmed a Canadian price. With both companies now showing a Canadian storefront online, the open question is which one turns its landing page into certified vehicles on a dealer lot before the current quota window closes on February 28, 2027.