Hundreds of Brand New Teslas Left in Canadian Parking Lots After Suspicious Sales Surge

8,600 Teslas registered in just three days, raising suspicions about a rushed sales tactic.
The sales spike occurred just before Canada paused its iZEV rebate program, offering up to C$5,000 per EV.
Tesla filed for C$43.1 million in rebates, taking over half of the available funds, leaving dealers out of pocket.
Hundreds of brand-new Teslas, including Model 3s and Model Ys, are now sitting in vacant parking lots across Canada.

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Vacant parking lots across Toronto and Laval, Quebec, have become the unexpected home for rows of brand-new Tesla EVs. The sight of so many Tesla Model 3s and Model Ys sitting idle has raised eyebrows, with many wondering what’s behind this growing pile-up of electric vehicles.

This unusual situation stems from a major spike in registrations for Tesla vehicles. According to Carscoops, a staggering 8,600 cars were registered over the course of just three days. That’s a car every minute for an entire weekend—even when the stores were closed. But here’s where it gets interesting: the spike occurred right before Canada put a pause on its iZEV rebate program, which offers up to C$5,000 off the price of an EV.

As a result of this timing, Tesla managed to grab over half of the remaining iZEV funds, filing for C$43.1 million in rebates. Meanwhile, many other car dealers in Canada were left empty-handed. These dealers had already sold EVs, counting on the rebates to help cover their costs. But with the program suspended, one dealer revealed he’s C$400,000 out of pocket due to the rush of Tesla sales.

This situation has sparked frustration within the Canadian automobile community. The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) accused Tesla of exploiting the system, causing smaller dealers to lose out on crucial rebate funds. Meanwhile, those unsold Teslas are now gathering dust in parking lots, with one large lot spotted across the street from a Tesla dealership in Toronto.

This incident is part of a broader trend—demand for Tesla vehicles in Canada appears to be cooling off. Sales have reportedly dropped, which may be partly due to the removal of government subsidies for EVs, rising interest rates, and increased competition in the market. These factors seem to be contributing to a slowdown in Tesla’s sales. Additionally, political controversies surrounding Elon Musk’s ties to President Trump might have further influenced consumer sentiment.

With no comment yet from Tesla’s team, these lots—now packed with unsold Teslas—stand as a visible reminder of how quickly things can change in the EV market, and it’s unclear where things will go from here.