Canadian Dealers Want To Import Cars Americans Can’t Buy

[Mihairokov]

When I religiously watched Top Gear one of the biggest complaints on cars, typically from James, was that they used cheap plastic throughout the interior (dash, etc.). I never understood what the alternative was because I had only ever been in cars with plastic interiors. I guess once you get into a nicer vehicle you can sort of see the difference, but even something like a VW Taos has stitched fabric lining the interior that is a nice break from plastic.

 

[nfitz]

If I'm reading this correctly, you're saying many cars don't have A/C controls buried in the touch screen?

I was referring to the 2026 Honda Civic - from a glance. If there's advanced setting I'd never adjust once I've set them, that's different.

I simply assume most vehicles are similar.

A lot of middle-aged car journalists love rotary dials and smaller screens while hating massive touchscreens. I disagree. I only see a problem with tech-ificiation if essential functions are only accessible through screens or finicky capacitive buttons like some VWs had.

Are car journalists still a thing? Are there young ones?

I'm surprised a lack of essential functions would get past the agencies and police.

Though I'm surprised that big screens get by either - if they are that big, there must be too much to read on it when you are driving. Though I hear that back-up cameras are a thing these days.

 

[JJTheJetPln]

At the Auto Show last month I sat in a Tesla Cybertruck - I couldn't believe how lame the interior was. Nothing but flat black plastic everywhere, and just a giant iPad glued to the middle of the dashboard. That's it. No buttons or anything. It all looked so cheap and vapid, completely bereft of anything resembling design.

I kind of hate modern cars. ******* rolling eggs.

I'm right there with you!! I don't mind the screens as much as one might, I just don't believe EVERYTHING needs to be integrated into them to make them work. If the screen craps out, you're left with a very expensive $20,000 to $40,000 repair, and that's not even assuming the damage somehow gets covered by warranty, but that the warranty company / dealer says it's your fault and to cough up your life savings for it.

 

[lenaitch]

Are car journalists still a thing? Are there young ones?

Yes, and yes.

I'm surprised a lack of essential functions would get past the agencies and police.

Vehicle safety standards are set by Transport Canada. So long as they comply (and I would have a hard time believing control types is even regulated), it is not a police matter.

Though I'm surprised that big screens get by either - if they are that big, there must be too much to read on it when you are driving.

A number of functions are locked out when the vehicle is in gear/in motion.

Though I hear that back-up cameras are a thing these days.

You're kidding , right?

I'm right there with you!! I don't mind the screens as much as one might, I just don't believe EVERYTHING needs to be integrated into them to make them work. If the screen craps out, you're left with a very expensive $20,000 to $40,000 repair, and that's not even assuming the damage somehow gets covered by warranty, but that the warranty company / dealer says it's your fault and to cough up your life savings for it.

How about the fact that they are just plane butt ugly.

 

[nfitz]

So long as they comply (and I would have a hard time believing control types is even regulated), it is not a police matter.

Police are allowed to offer opinions and make recommendations. They stopped MTO from opening 407 in 1997 because they had safety concerns, even though everyone agreed it met standards.

Also, I'm not sure the federal approval takes away the police enforcing Ontario laws, if the screen is a distraction, and they are using it while driving.

You're kidding , right?[

Frequently - and mostly here. Still seems a bit silly putting more electronic to maintain on vehicles that have excellent site lines. But I admit it's for the greater good.

 

[Voltz]

I'm not particularly familiar with foreign-built cars though

I'm just pointing out that the Civic is made not far from Toronto.

 

[nfitz]

I'm just pointing out that the Civic is made not far from Toronto.

? Which is why used it as an example rather than foreign-made cars.

 

[Voltz]

? Which is why used it as an example rather than foreign-made cars.

I wasn’t quite sure either way if you were stating it to be a foreign made car, but I still wanted to mention it.

 

[nfitz]

I wasn’t quite sure either way if you were stating it to be a foreign made car, but I still wanted to mention it.

Fair (I assumed that most anyone in urban Toronto was aware that most CIvics and Corolla's are made locally). I altered my text a bit ...

... and later I'm going to delete my dull replies to you.

 

[SashaLemon]

I'd like to say some random things.

First of all, I would like to remind people that there are already some Chinese made cars on Canadian roads today. This is in the form of Tesla and Volvo.
Volvo was bought by Geely all the way back in 2010.

I think in terms of pure quality, anybody thinking these Chinese cars will be shit clearly have not been paying attention to Chinese cars in recent years.

BYD has this car called the Seagull, this cute little city car. But you know, North America, so we probably won't get it!

I wonder if MG would do well here. A brand all the boomers will recognize, but SAIC Motor owns it and the cars are only British in name. (So, they will actually work.)
They have regular cars but the MG Cyberster sports car is pretty nice looking.

Ideally there would be Canadian factories making Chinese cars in the future. Biggest problem, as discussed, is being able to sell to America. A fever dream of mine
would be to create a Canadian specific brand marque for whatever company decided to do that. Uh lets see... Bricklin? Bombardier? Brooks? Acadian? (Surely that's not still trademarked for cars by GM) Beaumont? (Again, GM)
Or MG if it's SAIC but that would not work for any other company. Any other dead British brand we can yoink? Or maybe we could go license the name Saab from Saab AB.
(Along with buying those jets...) Hey it's not Canadian or British but it's still a known brand. Let's build uh... *checks notes* Canadian built... Chinese designed... Saab... mid sized EV pickup trucks.

Sorry for the rant. Anyway, I don't have a problem with diversifying away from the USA, as long as we can keep making stuff here with Canadian jobs. If it was just importing more cars and removing jobs, that would be the issue.

 

[lenaitch]

I'd like to say some random things.

First of all, I would like to remind people that there are already some Chinese made cars on Canadian roads today. This is in the form of Tesla and Volvo.
Volvo was bought by Geely all the way back in 2010.

I think in terms of pure quality, anybody thinking these Chinese cars will be shit clearly have not been paying attention to Chinese cars in recent years.

BYD has this car called the Seagull, this cute little city car. But you know, North America, so we probably won't get it!

I wonder if MG would do well here. A brand all the boomers will recognize, but SAIC Motor owns it and the cars are only British in name. (So, they will actually work.)
They have regular cars but the MG Cyberster sports car is pretty nice looking.

Ideally there would be Canadian factories making Chinese cars in the future. Biggest problem, as discussed, is being able to sell to America. A fever dream of mine
would be to create a Canadian specific brand marque for whatever company decided to do that. Uh lets see... Bricklin? Bombardier? Brooks? Acadian? (Surely that's not still trademarked for cars by GM) Beaumont? (Again, GM)
Or MG if it's SAIC but that would not work for any other company. Any other dead British brand we can yoink? Or maybe we could go license the name Saab from Saab AB.
(Along with buying those jets...) Hey it's not Canadian or British but it's still a known brand. Let's build uh... *checks notes* Canadian built... Chinese designed... Saab... mid sized EV pickup trucks.

Sorry for the rant. Anyway, I don't have a problem with diversifying away from the USA, as long as we can keep making stuff here with Canadian jobs. If it was just importing more cars and removing jobs, that would be the issue.

There is also China-based CF Moto, a manufacturer of motorcycles and off-road vehicles, which has been operating in Canada since 2006 through CFMoto Canada.

One problem the manufacturers of those very light and cheap 'city' cars made for other markets will be meeting North American collision safety standards. Meeting the standards would inevitably add weight and cost.

 

[afransen]

Yeah. One of my biggest gripes is that I was looking at the Nissan Ariya and I'm at a crossroads because there's buttons, but they're not physical, they're touch sensitive buttons... However, those buttons you have to be super specific on touch otherwise it won't register it. It's just as annoying as trying to adjust climate control or anything else, because anything else including the heated seats is built into it too.

I'm still looking into vehicles I could consider, but that list is getting shorter and shorter with each day that passes.

Capacitive buttons are like the worst of both worlds.

Tesla looks like you have to use the screen for everything, but a lot of the controls can be done with the scroll wheels on the steering wheel (music volume/media control, wiper speed, cruise control, etc.). Even things like climate temp you can control with a swipe on the screen, not having to tap a specific 'button'.

 

[afransen]

If the screen craps out, you're left with a very expensive $20,000 to $40,000 repair,

Tesla's main touchscreen is under $2k to replace. Failures are rare.

 

[nfitz]

Tesla's main touchscreen is under $2k to replace. Failures are rare.

That's absurdly expensive. I can buy an entire touch-screen laptop for $500, but their small screen alone is over $1,000?

Tesla failures are "rare". Let's hope so. (hmm, or hope not maybe?)

Colorado - 2025

 

[afransen]

That's absurdly expensive. I can buy an entire touch-screen laptop for $500, but their small screen alone is over $1,000?

Tesla failures are "rare". Let's hope so. (hmm, or hope not maybe?)

Colorado - 2025
View attachment 725734 View attachment 725733

Wow. Two whole pictures. I can't withstand the power of that anecdata.

OEM parts, particularly for components that don't fail often, tend to be rather expensive. I was faced with a $2500 part for ABS pump on my Japanese econobox. Just saying that $20k is ludicrous. That's more on the scale of battery pack replacement, and that is probably high.