Electric carmaker concerned at ‘overblown’ claims that Albanese government’s plan to import environmentally cleaner cars would increase ute prices
Polestar Australia’s managing director, Samantha Johnson, said Polestar would consider returning to the lobby group ‘when the FCAI commits to representing all voices in the automotive industry, fairly’.Polestar Australia’s managing director, Samantha Johnson, said Polestar would consider returning to the lobby group ‘when the FCAI commits to representing all voices in the automotive industry, fairly’.
Johnson said the active campaigning against the standard by the FCAI and fellow member companies was not aligned with Polestar’s focus.She said claims about the standard leading to price increases are “overblown” and called on the FCAI to release the modelling underpinning its assertions. “Rather, it appears that the FCAI has cherrypicked what it thinks will progress the position of only some members”.
Johnson also pointed to a submission by the Grattan Institute on the government’s proposed model for the NVES, which estimated the policyJohnson said Polestar would consider returning to the lobby group “when the FCAI commits to representing all voices in the automotive industry, fairly”.
On Thursday, Tesla asked the FCAI to publicly correct its “false claims” and acknowledge they do not accurately reflect what car companies intend to do. It was worried the group’s comments would significantly push up the price of most popular cars and utes, and significantly reduce the price of Tesla models.