A Fangchengbao Ti7 Was Just Spotted in Quebec — BYD's Canadian Plans May Go Beyond Cars

BYD's Canadian warm-up has taken an unexpected turn off-road. A Fangchengbao Ti7 — the boxy plug-in hybrid off-roader from BYD's rugged sub-brand — was photographed alongside a BYD Sealion 7 in a hotel parking lot outside Montreal this week, as first reported by EV (eletric-vehicles.com) on August 27.

A third vehicle, a mid-size SUV with its badges taped over and an Ontario manufacturer plate (prefix MFR), was photographed at a shopping centre in Markham — the same municipality where BYD Canada Company Limited is registered. Neither BYD nor Transport Canada has said which vehicles are in Canada or under what authorization.

What the Montreal pair tells us

The black Ti7 is a range-extended five-seat off-roader: 4,999 millimetres long on a 2,920-mm wheelbase, with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol generator feeding one or two electric motors. Fangchengbao markets it in its Titanium series alongside the Ti3; Gulf-region dealers list it as the Leopard 7 or Bao 7.

The white Sealion 7 is a battery-electric mid-size crossover measuring 4,830 mm on a 2,930-mm wheelbase — the more conventional candidate for a Canadian launch, competing with the likes of the Tesla Model Y.

Why the Ti7 is the surprise

Reuters reported in June that BYD had begun compliance procedures for two passenger models. But the Ti7 is built at plants — Changsha, Hefei, Jinan — that are not on Canada's approved list. A vehicle from an unlisted plant cannot ride on an existing registration under the plant-level Appendix G regime; it would need a new entry (and Transport Canada paused new passenger-vehicle applications) or case-by-case VIN-level approval. The Ti7 in Quebec is therefore more plausibly a one-off evaluation import than launch stock.

Still, testing a sub-brand vehicle signals intent beyond passenger cars. The Ti7 competes with the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado — a segment Canada buys heavily and one that has appeared in no reported account of BYD's Canadian plans.

Where BYD's Canadian entry stands

The company added a coming-soon Canadian website this week and is advertising eleven management roles. Advisory firm DSMA told Automotive News Canada in March that BYD, Chery and Geely were preparing entry by the end of 2026, with months of certification still ahead. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly has confirmed meeting BYD and Chery.

The backdrop is Canada's 24,500-vehicle Chinese EV import quota, under which the first Chinese-built vehicles are already arriving at Canadian ports.

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