Canadian Auto Dealers: What If We Sold EU, Korean and Japanese Cars Not Found in the U.S.?

Oillover

Oillover

Joined
Sep 30, 2020
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As someone who's always enjoyed the designs and tech of vehicles not available in N. America, I find this appealing.
Brands that were never available in Canada since the 1980s (Renault, Peugeot, Skoda, Lada etc.) would all be fair game .
Not to mention the models available from Honda, Toyota etc. for other markets.

As for the pricing, they would be theoretically be cheaper than what's currently available in N. America (and more CARS offered...think hatchbacks, wagons and low-priced introductory cars that all other major manufacturers have all stopped producing).

This could be the silver lining we Canadian's have been waiting for.
🫰🇨🇦

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a64589408/canada-foreign-auto-safety-standard-tariff/
 
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The grass is always greener.

If you knew someone who had a junker (whatever), and saw one on the road every week, they wouldn't be that unique.

Flipside is getting some CARS again.
 
I am not sure exactly your point. However Canada has gotten models not sold in the US already. For example the Nissan X-Trail - never sold here. I know there were others - that is just what comes to mind.

Another thing, at least in the past, was Canada got a lot more manual trans. There is usually a small MPG loss for manual trans on the cafe test, compared to say a CVT. So in the case of small cars, while a lot of small cars historically were supposed to be available with a manual trans, in the US a lot of times you could not find them - and I believe that is part of the reason.
 
Imho, Canadian market isn't that large to attract lotsa interest from abroad unless US made cars stop following into country making room. French cars? I'd never buy one, even French people prefer not to. I'd most likely get a made in Japan Japanese car, Lexus or Mazda. A truck little smaller than Tacoma but with a bit more cabin room would attract me too.
I like Audi styling but they are a nightmare to fix when older, new BMWs look hideous, Mercedes is def marketing to a group I don't belong to. Korean don't have great track record and late styling is ugly too.
It's when you get exposed to other models you get to see if there is anything there that you like better, and I've been lucky to travel to a few quite different countries.
 
Yeah, I think the US standards for safety and emissions have now been designed to favor big and/or expensive pointlessly complex vehicles, which I don't really want.
Personally I would rather have the vehicle selection of almost anywhere else, even New Zealand which is 5M people, 4000 miles of ocean away from the nearest auto plant, has a bigger variety of new vehicles than Canada and the US...
 
dubber09 said:
Imho, Canadian market isn't that large to attract lotsa interest from abroad unless US made cars stop following into country making room. French cars? I'd never buy one, even French people prefer not to. I'd most likely get a made in Japan Japanese car, Lexus or Mazda. A truck little smaller than Tacoma but with a bit more cabin room would attract me too.
I like Audi styling but they are a nightmare to fix when older, new BMWs look hideous, Mercedes is def marketing to a group I don't belong to. Korean don't have great track record and late styling is ugly too.
It's when you get exposed to other models you get to see if there is anything there that you like better, and I've been lucky to travel to a few quite different countries.
Click to expand...

Those peugeot/citroen suv are bestsellers, but I don't want one because of the Puretech engine with wet belt. Nissan/renault 1.2 turbo snaps chains, ecoboost has both wet belts and head gasket issues, honda has wet belts in some... the list goes on
 
IndyIan said:
Yeah, I think the US standards for safety and emissions have now been designed to favor big and/or expensive pointlessly complex vehicles, which I don't really want.
Personally I would rather have the vehicle selection of almost anywhere else, even New Zealand which is 5M people, 4000 miles of ocean away from the nearest auto plant, has a bigger variety of new vehicles than Canada and the US...
Click to expand...
Those cars don't come here because no one buys them.

Mitsubishi Lancer was one of the most popular global cars of all time. They still are made for some Asian countries. Never were popular here, Canada included.

Hyundai Elantra is another one. Best selling global car, not popular here.

Sentra also is number one car in many markets. Not popular here.

This topic has come up often on this board. Its not big auto forcing you into your giant SUV. Its your neighbours who also refuse to buy the car you want.

If I were in Canada I would go find a Sentra with a stick and be happy for the next decade.
 
SC Maintenance said:
Another thing, at least in the past, was Canada got a lot more manual trans. There is usually a small MPG loss for manual trans on the cafe test, compared to say a CVT. So in the case of small cars, while a lot of small cars historically were supposed to be available with a manual trans, in the US a lot of times you could not find them - and I believe that is part of the reason.
Click to expand...
For a glorious while, let's say 1981-2010, CAFE led to subsidizing everyman cars like the Neon, Cavalier, and Escort. To meet their price points they had either 5 speed sticks or 3 speed autos with lockup. We eventually saw 4 speed autos but the cars were underpowered and always downshifting. Big 3 thought they might make money if they could make them cheaper than the $10k they sold them for but they didn't really seem to care too much. Not in engineering, marketing, styling.* (Neon was the best attempt out of the three, IMO.) But they existed and did the work of getting people to work. If December came around and they were missing CAFE targets they'd dump a bunch of econoboxes on rental fleets and skate by for another year.

Now for CAFE points the incentives point to electric vehicles. Compact-midsize cars don't sell well in the US without subsidies so the big 3 hardly make any. Malibu just got cancelled, Ford just has Mustangs. Sad, but yeah, the people aren't buying.

*Saturn was started as an offshoot that was supposed to care about their compact. The difference in attitude between it and a Cavalier was notable.
 
jimmyjamesndt said:
I would like to see more standard transmissions offered! I was at the local tire shop, young guy went out to bring my 2010 Ford Ranger in, opened the truck door, shut the door, walked back to the shop with his head hanging low, couldn't drive it, 5 speed manual. lol
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I've had that happen a couple of times at the tire shop too. Except for one time; I had to get tires for the Ranger and the guy moving my truck around not only knew how to drive a manual, he told me it brought back memories of the Ranger he used to own.
 
SC Maintenance said:
Those cars don't come here because no one buys them.

Mitsubishi Lancer was one of the most popular global cars of all time. They still are made for some Asian countries. Never were popular here, Canada included.

Hyundai Elantra is another one. Best selling global car, not popular here.

Sentra also is number one car in many markets. Not popular here.

This topic has come up often on this board. Its not big auto forcing you into your giant SUV. Its your neighbours who also refuse to buy the car you want.

If I were in Canada I would go find a Sentra with a stick and be happy for the next decade.
Click to expand...
Elantras and Lancers are all over the place here in Calgary. We have quite a large first generation immigrant population that knows these cars from their originating country and buy them. Vancouver is the same, from my (somewhat brief) time spent there.
The Mitsu dealer nearby isn't going out of business anytime soon. A co-worker just bought an Outlander a few months back. She is multi-generational Canadian.
 
tcp71 said:
Elantras and Lancers are all over the place here in Calgary. We have quite a large first generation immigrant population that knows these cars from their originating country and buy them. Vancouver is the same, from my (somewhat brief) time spent there.
The Mitsu dealer nearby isn't going out of business anytime soon. A co-worker just bought an Outlander a few months back. She is multi-generational Canadian.
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Possibly its regional, but 38M Canadians buying 5000 Lancers a year wasn't particularly a big deal. Elantras were'nt much better. Sometimes we see what we want to see.

I am sure the Mits and Hyundai dealers are doing fine, as they are here - but there not selling the cars the poster I was resonding to wanted, and even their small SUV's that sell reasonably well are dwarfed by sales of larger CUV's.

1745675304897.webp


https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/mitsubishi-lancer-sales-figures/

https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/hyundai-elantra-sales-figures/
 
SC Maintenance said:
Those cars don't come here because no one buys them.

Mitsubishi Lancer was one of the most popular global cars of all time. They still are made for some Asian countries. Never were popular here, Canada included.

Hyundai Elantra is another one. Best selling global car, not popular here.

Sentra also is number one car in many markets. Not popular here.

This topic has come up often on this board. Its not big auto forcing you into your giant SUV. Its your neighbours who also refuse to buy the car you want.

If I were in Canada I would go find a Sentra with a stick and be happy for the next decade.
Click to expand...
Our car market is also influenced by the US market, but in some areas like Quebec, there seems to be less pickups and large SUV's, and more wagons, hatchbacks, and manual transmissions.
I would have no problem with a Sentra wagon, but a sedan is not nearly as useful for me... In most of the world they sell simple drivetrain medium or large box vehicles, so I wouldn't mind Canada aligning its regulations and market more with the europe, and get that vehicle selection.
 
IndyIan said:
Our car market is also influenced by the US market, but in some areas like Quebec, there seems to be less pickups and large SUV's, and more wagons, hatchbacks, and manual transmissions.
I would have no problem with a Sentra wagon, but a sedan is not nearly as useful for me... In most of the world they sell simple drivetrain medium or large box vehicles, so I wouldn't mind Canada aligning its regulations and market more with the europe, and get that vehicle selection.
Click to expand...
I have been to Quebec-not large vehicle friendly in town.
 
CKN said:
I have been to Quebec-not large vehicle friendly in town.
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The old part of Quebec city is very tight for sure, as lots of it 300+ years old. But I find almost anywhere in the province of Quebec, the vehicle make up on the highway is noticeably different than Ontario.
 
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