Canada Is Bringing In More Vehicles From Japan as U.S. Built Sales Fall

Record vehicle arrivals in Vancouver point to a shift in how automakers supply Canadian dealerships.

• Vancouver’s Annacis Auto Terminal handled 264,284 vehicles in the first half of 2026, up 10 per cent.
• Japanese vehicle imports through the terminal rose 18 per cent, while Canadian sales of U.S.-built vehicles fell 20 per cent.
• China-made vehicle shipments are recovering, although their volumes remain well below those from Japan and South Korea.

The vehicles arriving at Canadian dealerships are increasingly coming from overseas as automakers adjust their supply routes around tariffs. According to Automotive News Canada, Vancouver’s Annacis Auto Terminal handled a record 264,284 vehicles between January and June 2026, a 10-per-cent increase over the same period last year.

Japan drove most of that growth. Shipments from the country through Vancouver reached 141,183 vehicles, up 18 percent, according to Vancouver Fraser Port Authority figures cited in the report.

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More Vehicles From Japan, Fewer From U.S. Factories

Subaru, Nissan and Toyota recorded double-digit increases in Canadian overseas import volumes during the first half of the year, according to Automotive News data. Subaru and Nissan have shifted production of vehicles destined for Canada from American factories to Japan or stopped selling certain U.S.-built models here.

The changes show how tariffs can affect the selection at dealerships, even when buyers stay with the same brand. Where a vehicle is assembled has become an increasingly important factor in how manufacturers supply Canada.

Canadian sales of American-built vehicles fell 20 per cent in the first half of 2026, according to J.D. Power Canada figures cited by Automotive News Canada. Sales of Mexican-built vehicles rose 21 per cent over the same period.

Those sales figures measure a different activity from port arrivals, but both point to a changing mix of vehicle origins.

China-Made Imports Begin to Recover

Shipments from China through Vancouver nearly tripled to 4,579 vehicles in the first six months of 2026. Another 3,185 arrived in July and August, indicating a faster pace later in the year.

The report links that recovery to Canada’s replacement of its 100-per-cent surtax on Chinese-built EVs with a quota allowing 49,000 vehicles during the first year.

These figures describe vehicles built in China, which can include models sold by brands headquartered elsewhere.

South Korea remained Vancouver’s second-largest source of imported vehicles, with 99,145 arrivals in the first half. That was down from 106,177 a year earlier.

For Canadian buyers, the shift concerns vehicle availability and manufacturing origin. The import figures alone do not establish whether the changing supply routes will bring lower dealership prices.

Source: Automotive News Canada