Could Canada Get Fresh BYDs, Rather Than Leftovers?

BYD's latest-generation Sealion 06 EV with LiDAR has been spotted testing in Canada, indicating the company may bring its newest technology rather than previous-generation models to the Canadian market. The 2026 model features God's Eye B advanced driving, second-generation Blade Battery, and MW-level flash charging capable of 10-70% charge in 5 minutes, with up to 710 km CLTC range. BYD is also in talks with Stellantis to take over the idle Brampton assembly plant, which could enable local EV production amid Canada's import quota on Chinese EVs.

Could Canada Get Fresh BYDs, Rather Than Leftovers? Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription https://cleantechnica.substack.com/subscribe , on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cleantechnica , or on Stripe https://cleantechnica.fundjournalism.org/contribute/ . Help us produce all of the high-quality, original content we publish week after week https://cleantechnica.com/2026/07/14/10/ despite the challenges of content-scraping AI, antisocial media, inflation, and other hurdles.BYD vehicles recently showed up in my RedNote feed testing in Canada. While the entry of BYD into Canada is widely anticipated, the models, representing BYD’s latest generation of mid-priced SUVs, is perhaps even more significant. Europe has the Seal U aka, Sealion 6 that is essentially a previous generation Song Plus. This model that has been discontinued in China. It has been replaced by the Song Ultra at Dynasty dealers and Sealion 06 at Ocean dealers. BYD has had the tendency to bring its previous generation models to many export markets, which protects IP and limits capital risk. The Song Plus seems to have a lot of life ahead of it in overseas markets, including the recent Mako https://carnewschina.com/topics/byd-mako/ pickup derivative for LATAM. However, a fresh new BYD Sealion 06 with LiDAR has been seen testing on Canadian roads. This appears to be the latest model, as sold in the Chinese market. This is also a relatively affordable model, starting below the least expensive SUV in America, bring the technology to a price point that many can afford. The LiDAR unit indicates the vehicle has God’s Eye B advanced intelligent driving. Despite the fearmongering, to meet Chinese regulations, far more intelligent driving needs to happen onboard, rather than through centralized data collection and processing. This is one of the reasons why Tesla FSD has yet to be approved in China, relying on centralized data centers and human data labeling. For XPENG, regulatory compliance means far more local AI computing power onboard. For BYD, it means far more sensor power. But the appearance of a LiDAR unit has greater significance. This feature was only released on the latest 2026 model, which also comes with the second generation Blade Battery. While the it is hard to tell from the pictures http://xhslink.com/m/6omyUVXymGl and video http://xhslink.com/m/QggPyKvgZR which exact model is being tested, it appears to be the EV https://www.byd.com/cn/ocean-home/models/haishi/26-haishi-06-ev , with the description claiming a NACS charging adapter. That means MW-level Flash Charging capable of charging the vehicle from 10-70% in 5 minutes, 10-97% in 9 minutes, with that time increasing to just 12 minutes at -30 degrees Celsius—particularly useful in Canada. The RWD-based vehicles offer up to 270 kW 362 hp , DiSus-C active damping and 710 km of range CLTC . The appearance of mainstream flash charging models could also be a good sign for a buildout of BYD’s MW+, battery buffered charging stations. While Canada is a large country, the concentrated population along its southern border means that the charging infrastructure needed to connect major cities is not as difficult as it may look at first glance. However, if they bring the DM-I version, these PHEVs offer up to 310 km of battery range, far more than many would expect from this type of vehicle. If BYD brings their latest technology, other Chinese competitors are likely to do the same. BYD has also been in the news https://www.autoblog.com/news/byd-asked-about-taking-over-stellantis-idle-canadian-plant lately due to talks with Stellantis to take over the idle Brampton assembly plant. This isn’t a surprise to many of us who have been following BYD closely. While Canada currently has a quota on EVs imported from China, a plant purchase could open the door for EV production. With the escalating US-Canada trade war https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g4r4lxx25o threatening to disrupt the Canadian automotive industry, more capacity could become available. But the implications could extend beyond the Canadian border. Canada and the EU have the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement CETA , which essentially eliminates most tariffs and trade barriers. Currently the EU is threatening technology sharing requirements on Chinese companies for local production. While that might sound like an attractive idea on the surface, it means that companies are likely to only bring the technology that they can afford to give away to localized production. Until that threat is quelched, localized European produced models are likely to be at least a generation behind those produced in China. More advanced vehicles will be available as imports, but prices will be elevated due to taxes and other protectionist measures. See Denza models priced at multiple times what they cost in China. However, Canada could provide a pathway for Europe to access the most advanced technology without the added tariffs. While Canada is a potentially important market, the potential scope of manufacturing dramatically expands with the ability to access the European market. Beyond the benefit of access to the latest EV technology for Canadians and Europeans, the potential manufacturing jobs could be substantial. While the current US administration has been working hard to take manufacturing capacity away from our longtime partner to the north, there are a lot of smart Canadians in the automotive industry. BYD and other Chinese companies could not just revitalize Canadian manufacturing undermined by recent US trade policies. They could make Canada a global magnet for engineering talent. Those engineers would not only be manufacturing products for North America but also developing products for much of the world. Of course, that will not make many politicians aligned with legacy auto and the fossil fuel industry happy. However, Canada has the opportunity to partner with companies focused on unleashing a clean tech future, rather than harnessing the world to a politically entrenched, polluting legacy. While Americans may look and sound largely like Canadians, we haven’t been the best neighbors. It might be time for Canada to look make friends elsewhere. By showing people in the US what is possible on just the other side of lines on a map, that might humble people here in the short term. But it could show a way forward in partnerships. Even if we can’t act as arrogant and “dominant” on everything anymore in the US, that might also set us up to better global citizens in the long run. 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