Photo: Honda Canada. Honda Prologue exterior styling.
In the second quarter of 2026, Canadians registered 58,811 new zero-emission vehicles, 10.7% of all new motor vehicle registrations, up from 8.6% a year earlier. By origin of assembly, 54.6% of those ZEVs were assembled in Asia, 27.3% in North America and 18.1% in Europe. Ontario ZEV registrations rose 46.6% year over year. Statistics Canada
What it means: If you live in the GTA and you are waiting for “Canadian-built Honda EV” to show up as the default ZEV, this table is not on your side. Most new ZEVs that actually got plates last quarter were assembled in Asia. Honda of Canada Manufacturing in Alliston builds Civic Sedan, Civic Si and CR-V. Civic Hybrid and CR-V Hybrid sold here are Alliston-built too. Those are conventional hybrids. Statistics Canada does not count them as ZEVs. Honda’s battery-electric SUV in the Canadian mix has been the Prologue, which is not on the Alliston product list — and Honda has already said that nameplate is ending. I covered that on July 17.
I am not going to pretend a hybrid Civic is a ZEV to make the story tidier. The honest floor line is: the Honda you can buy from Alliston this week is a hybrid you fill at a pump. If you specifically want a plug-in EV, you are mostly shopping product that was assembled somewhere else. Compare it that way, or buy the hybrid Honda that is actually on the lot.
My prediction: By March 11, 2027, Honda Canada will not have listed a battery-electric Honda assembled at Honda of Canada Manufacturing in Alliston on honda.ca or hondanews.ca. I will be wrong if Honda Canada announces an Alliston-built Honda BEV on sale in Canada before that date.
If you're buying right now: If you need a Canadian-built Honda this fall, shop Civic Hybrid or CR-V Hybrid. If you came in wanting a plug-in EV, compare the cars that actually exist — starting with Tesla vs Honda in Vaughan — instead of pausing the deal for an Alliston BEV Honda has not posted.
Quick answers
Where were most new Canadian ZEVs assembled in Q2 2026?
Statistics Canada’s September 8 Daily said 54.6% of new zero-emission vehicles registered in the second quarter of 2026 were assembled in Asia, 27.3% in North America and 18.1% in Europe. ZEVs were 58,811 units, 10.7% of all new motor vehicle registrations.
Does Honda build a battery-electric vehicle in Alliston?
Honda of Canada Manufacturing in Alliston lists Civic Sedan, Civic Coupe, Civic Si and CR-V production. Civic Hybrid and CR-V Hybrid sold in Canada are Alliston-built. Those are conventional hybrids, which Statistics Canada does not count as ZEVs. Honda Canada has not posted an Alliston-built Honda BEV on sale.
Should I wait for a Canadian-built Honda EV?
Not if you need a car this fall. Ontario ZEV registrations rose 46.6% year over year in Q2, and most of those new ZEVs were assembled in Asia. The Honda you can buy from Alliston today is a Civic Hybrid or CR-V Hybrid. If you specifically want a plug-in EV, compare the cars that actually exist — including Tesla — rather than waiting for a Honda BEV Alliston has not listed.
Waiting on a Honda EV from Alliston?
Send whether you need a plug, a hybrid, or just a Civic you can fill at a pump. I will tell you which of those is actually on the lot this week — not a factory Honda has not listed.
Henry Chen
Sales and Leasing Executive, Maple Honda
89 Auto Vaughan Dr, Maple, ON L6A 4A1
647-523-6878 · henry@maplehonda.com
ZEV assembly origin and Ontario ZEV growth from Statistics Canada, The Daily, September 8, 2026. Alliston product list from Honda of Canada Manufacturing. Predictions are my personal read, not Honda Canada policy.
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