Polestar won't rejoin Australia's top auto industry body
Along with US EV brand Tesla, Polestar Australia quit the FCAI in March 2024 in protest of the body's criticism of the federal government's now-implemented New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
A statement from Polestar announcing its exit claimed the FCAI was attempting to "deliberately slow the car industry's contribution to Australia's emissions reduction potential".
The Chinese-owned Swedish EV-maker told media this week its view of the FCAI hasn't changed – and it is not considering rejoining its ranks, which includes most auto brands present in Australia.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
"I haven't seen the FCAI say or do anything that would indicate that they're being more progressive when it comes to the electrification of the Australian vehicle fleet," Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard said on a media call.
"In fact, most of the comments I've seen earlier out of the FCAI would indicate the opposite is true."
Officially commencing on January 1, 2025, the NVES is designed to reduce the carbon-dioxide (CO2) tailpipe emissions of all new cars sold in Australia, with CO2 targets lowering annually until 2029.
Automakers began accruing financial penalties for exceeding emissions targets from July 1, 2025.
The initially proposed targets were raised – meaning new vehicles could emit more CO2 – with the final figures implemented after pressure from the FCAI on the federal government.
A public statement on March 5, 2024, said the FCAI was "concerned at the rate of total battery electric vehicle sales which recorded just 5.9 per cent of total sales [in February 2025] compared with 9.6 per cent in February 2024".
Further, the FCAI was critical of the way NVES was implemented, saying: "Our grave concern has always been the rate of EV adoption and what assumptions the Government had made in its modelling around consumer demand for EVs in the NVES. This modelling remains secret."
Another FCAI statement made three months earlier said: "It is significant that the Government has recognised the need to do more to support sales of EVs in order to get anywhere near the challenge of achieving its extremely ambitious emissions reduction targets under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES)."
These were the comments that prompted Polestar to quit the group, along with Tesla, which only joined the FCAI less than 12 months earlier.
Tesla was even more critical in public comments upon its exit, accusing the FCAI of misleading Australian consumers and engaging in anti-competitive behaviour.
"Tesla is also concerned that it is inappropriate for the FCAI to foreshadow or coordinate whether and how competitor brands implement price changes in response to environmental regulations such as the NVES," it said at the time.
The FCAI describes itself as the 'peak representative organisation for companies who distribute new passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles in Australia'.
Essentially, it represents the interests of automakers, with membership fees based on sales volume. Non-member brands – including Polestar and Tesla, as well as Mahindra, Smart, Cadillac, Ineos and Xpeng, among others – do not supply sales figures for the FCAI's monthly VFACTS reports.
The FCAI's board includes – among others – Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi, Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott, Nissan Oceania managing director Andrew Humberstone, Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealy and Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific's Jaime Cohen.
Many of the automakers represented by FCAI board members offer EVs in their local lineups, including Penny Ferguson from JLR, which is currently reinventing Jaguar as an electric-only brand.
Mr Maynard reiterated that his company's stance this week hasn't changed – even if Polestar's parent company, Geely, is a paid-up member.
"The fact that they're [the FCAI] so hard against the NVES and tried to water that down didn't sit with our brand or what we would consider is in the best interests of the Australian buying public or the environment or the economy.
"So at this stage, there wouldn't be any reason for us to go back.
"The FCAI does an important job of representing its brands. Those brands, too, have spoken out against things like the NVES.
"They have spoken out against things like fringe benefits tax (FBT), which continues to disproportionately serve the sale of dual cab utes – not what I would consider to be a far more progressive style of transportation, which is electric vehicles.
"So it doesn't sit with our brand to rejoin. I've always said and will continue to say if that position changes, then of course it makes sense for us to join a vehicle-based chamber that represents the industry. But at the moment, I think it represents the industry [only] in part."
MORE: Everything Polestar
MORE: What the first emissions standard means for Aussie car buyers
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
Electric vehicle (EV) brand Polestar says it's not ready to rejoin Australia's peak automotive industry organisation, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), because it still believes it doesn't truly represent the local auto industry.
Along with US EV brand Tesla, Polestar Australia quit the FCAI in March 2024 in protest of the body's criticism of the federal government's now-implemented New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
A statement from Polestar announcing its exit claimed the FCAI was attempting to "deliberately slow the car industry's contribution to Australia's emissions reduction potential".
The Chinese-owned Swedish EV-maker told media this week its view of the FCAI hasn't changed – and it is not considering rejoining its ranks, which includes most auto brands present in Australia.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
"I haven't seen the FCAI say or do anything that would indicate that they're being more progressive when it comes to the electrification of the Australian vehicle fleet," Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard said on a media call.
"In fact, most of the comments I've seen earlier out of the FCAI would indicate the opposite is true."
Officially commencing on January 1, 2025, the NVES is designed to reduce the carbon-dioxide (CO2) tailpipe emissions of all new cars sold in Australia, with CO2 targets lowering annually until 2029.
Automakers began accruing financial penalties for exceeding emissions targets from July 1, 2025.
The initially proposed targets were raised – meaning new vehicles could emit more CO2 – with the final figures implemented after pressure from the FCAI on the federal government.
A public statement on March 5, 2024, said the FCAI was "concerned at the rate of total battery electric vehicle sales which recorded just 5.9 per cent of total sales [in February 2025] compared with 9.6 per cent in February 2024".
Further, the FCAI was critical of the way NVES was implemented, saying: "Our grave concern has always been the rate of EV adoption and what assumptions the Government had made in its modelling around consumer demand for EVs in the NVES. This modelling remains secret."
Another FCAI statement made three months earlier said: "It is significant that the Government has recognised the need to do more to support sales of EVs in order to get anywhere near the challenge of achieving its extremely ambitious emissions reduction targets under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES)."
These were the comments that prompted Polestar to quit the group, along with Tesla, which only joined the FCAI less than 12 months earlier.
Tesla was even more critical in public comments upon its exit, accusing the FCAI of misleading Australian consumers and engaging in anti-competitive behaviour.
"Tesla is also concerned that it is inappropriate for the FCAI to foreshadow or coordinate whether and how competitor brands implement price changes in response to environmental regulations such as the NVES," it said at the time.
The FCAI describes itself as the 'peak representative organisation for companies who distribute new passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles in Australia'.
Essentially, it represents the interests of automakers, with membership fees based on sales volume. Non-member brands – including Polestar and Tesla, as well as Mahindra, Smart, Cadillac, Ineos and Xpeng, among others – do not supply sales figures for the FCAI's monthly VFACTS reports.
The FCAI's board includes – among others – Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi, Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott, Nissan Oceania managing director Andrew Humberstone, Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealy and Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific's Jaime Cohen.
Many of the automakers represented by FCAI board members offer EVs in their local lineups, including Penny Ferguson from JLR, which is currently reinventing Jaguar as an electric-only brand.
Mr Maynard reiterated that his company's stance this week hasn't changed – even if Polestar's parent company, Geely, is a paid-up member.
"The fact that they're [the FCAI] so hard against the NVES and tried to water that down didn't sit with our brand or what we would consider is in the best interests of the Australian buying public or the environment or the economy.
"So at this stage, there wouldn't be any reason for us to go back.
"The FCAI does an important job of representing its brands. Those brands, too, have spoken out against things like the NVES.
"They have spoken out against things like fringe benefits tax (FBT), which continues to disproportionately serve the sale of dual cab utes – not what I would consider to be a far more progressive style of transportation, which is electric vehicles.
"So it doesn't sit with our brand to rejoin. I've always said and will continue to say if that position changes, then of course it makes sense for us to join a vehicle-based chamber that represents the industry. But at the moment, I think it represents the industry [only] in part."
MORE: Everything Polestar
MORE: What the first emissions standard means for Aussie car buyers
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
Electric vehicle (EV) brand Polestar says it's not ready to rejoin Australia's peak automotive industry organisation, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), because it still believes it doesn't truly represent the local auto industry.
Along with US EV brand Tesla, Polestar Australia quit the FCAI in March 2024 in protest of the body's criticism of the federal government's now-implemented New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
A statement from Polestar announcing its exit claimed the FCAI was attempting to "deliberately slow the car industry's contribution to Australia's emissions reduction potential".
The Chinese-owned Swedish EV-maker told media this week its view of the FCAI hasn't changed – and it is not considering rejoining its ranks, which includes most auto brands present in Australia.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
"I haven't seen the FCAI say or do anything that would indicate that they're being more progressive when it comes to the electrification of the Australian vehicle fleet," Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard said on a media call.
"In fact, most of the comments I've seen earlier out of the FCAI would indicate the opposite is true."
Officially commencing on January 1, 2025, the NVES is designed to reduce the carbon-dioxide (CO2) tailpipe emissions of all new cars sold in Australia, with CO2 targets lowering annually until 2029.
Automakers began accruing financial penalties for exceeding emissions targets from July 1, 2025.
The initially proposed targets were raised – meaning new vehicles could emit more CO2 – with the final figures implemented after pressure from the FCAI on the federal government.
A public statement on March 5, 2024, said the FCAI was "concerned at the rate of total battery electric vehicle sales which recorded just 5.9 per cent of total sales [in February 2025] compared with 9.6 per cent in February 2024".
Further, the FCAI was critical of the way NVES was implemented, saying: "Our grave concern has always been the rate of EV adoption and what assumptions the Government had made in its modelling around consumer demand for EVs in the NVES. This modelling remains secret."
Another FCAI statement made three months earlier said: "It is significant that the Government has recognised the need to do more to support sales of EVs in order to get anywhere near the challenge of achieving its extremely ambitious emissions reduction targets under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES)."
These were the comments that prompted Polestar to quit the group, along with Tesla, which only joined the FCAI less than 12 months earlier.
Tesla was even more critical in public comments upon its exit, accusing the FCAI of misleading Australian consumers and engaging in anti-competitive behaviour.
"Tesla is also concerned that it is inappropriate for the FCAI to foreshadow or coordinate whether and how competitor brands implement price changes in response to environmental regulations such as the NVES," it said at the time.
The FCAI describes itself as the 'peak representative organisation for companies who distribute new passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles in Australia'.
Essentially, it represents the interests of automakers, with membership fees based on sales volume. Non-member brands – including Polestar and Tesla, as well as Mahindra, Smart, Cadillac, Ineos and Xpeng, among others – do not supply sales figures for the FCAI's monthly VFACTS reports.
The FCAI's board includes – among others – Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi, Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott, Nissan Oceania managing director Andrew Humberstone, Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealy and Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific's Jaime Cohen.
Many of the automakers represented by FCAI board members offer EVs in their local lineups, including Penny Ferguson from JLR, which is currently reinventing Jaguar as an electric-only brand.
Mr Maynard reiterated that his company's stance this week hasn't changed – even if Polestar's parent company, Geely, is a paid-up member.
"The fact that they're [the FCAI] so hard against the NVES and tried to water that down didn't sit with our brand or what we would consider is in the best interests of the Australian buying public or the environment or the economy.
"So at this stage, there wouldn't be any reason for us to go back.
"The FCAI does an important job of representing its brands. Those brands, too, have spoken out against things like the NVES.
"They have spoken out against things like fringe benefits tax (FBT), which continues to disproportionately serve the sale of dual cab utes – not what I would consider to be a far more progressive style of transportation, which is electric vehicles.
"So it doesn't sit with our brand to rejoin. I've always said and will continue to say if that position changes, then of course it makes sense for us to join a vehicle-based chamber that represents the industry. But at the moment, I think it represents the industry [only] in part."
MORE: Everything Polestar
MORE: What the first emissions standard means for Aussie car buyers
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
Electric vehicle (EV) brand Polestar says it's not ready to rejoin Australia's peak automotive industry organisation, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), because it still believes it doesn't truly represent the local auto industry.
Along with US EV brand Tesla, Polestar Australia quit the FCAI in March 2024 in protest of the body's criticism of the federal government's now-implemented New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
A statement from Polestar announcing its exit claimed the FCAI was attempting to "deliberately slow the car industry's contribution to Australia's emissions reduction potential".
The Chinese-owned Swedish EV-maker told media this week its view of the FCAI hasn't changed – and it is not considering rejoining its ranks, which includes most auto brands present in Australia.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
"I haven't seen the FCAI say or do anything that would indicate that they're being more progressive when it comes to the electrification of the Australian vehicle fleet," Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard said on a media call.
"In fact, most of the comments I've seen earlier out of the FCAI would indicate the opposite is true."
Officially commencing on January 1, 2025, the NVES is designed to reduce the carbon-dioxide (CO2) tailpipe emissions of all new cars sold in Australia, with CO2 targets lowering annually until 2029.
Automakers began accruing financial penalties for exceeding emissions targets from July 1, 2025.
The initially proposed targets were raised – meaning new vehicles could emit more CO2 – with the final figures implemented after pressure from the FCAI on the federal government.
A public statement on March 5, 2024, said the FCAI was "concerned at the rate of total battery electric vehicle sales which recorded just 5.9 per cent of total sales [in February 2025] compared with 9.6 per cent in February 2024".
Further, the FCAI was critical of the way NVES was implemented, saying: "Our grave concern has always been the rate of EV adoption and what assumptions the Government had made in its modelling around consumer demand for EVs in the NVES. This modelling remains secret."
Another FCAI statement made three months earlier said: "It is significant that the Government has recognised the need to do more to support sales of EVs in order to get anywhere near the challenge of achieving its extremely ambitious emissions reduction targets under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES)."
These were the comments that prompted Polestar to quit the group, along with Tesla, which only joined the FCAI less than 12 months earlier.
Tesla was even more critical in public comments upon its exit, accusing the FCAI of misleading Australian consumers and engaging in anti-competitive behaviour.
"Tesla is also concerned that it is inappropriate for the FCAI to foreshadow or coordinate whether and how competitor brands implement price changes in response to environmental regulations such as the NVES," it said at the time.
The FCAI describes itself as the 'peak representative organisation for companies who distribute new passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles in Australia'.
Essentially, it represents the interests of automakers, with membership fees based on sales volume. Non-member brands – including Polestar and Tesla, as well as Mahindra, Smart, Cadillac, Ineos and Xpeng, among others – do not supply sales figures for the FCAI's monthly VFACTS reports.
The FCAI's board includes – among others – Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi, Mitsubishi Australia CEO Shaun Westcott, Nissan Oceania managing director Andrew Humberstone, Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealy and Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific's Jaime Cohen.
Many of the automakers represented by FCAI board members offer EVs in their local lineups, including Penny Ferguson from JLR, which is currently reinventing Jaguar as an electric-only brand.
Mr Maynard reiterated that his company's stance this week hasn't changed – even if Polestar's parent company, Geely, is a paid-up member.
"The fact that they're [the FCAI] so hard against the NVES and tried to water that down didn't sit with our brand or what we would consider is in the best interests of the Australian buying public or the environment or the economy.
"So at this stage, there wouldn't be any reason for us to go back.
"The FCAI does an important job of representing its brands. Those brands, too, have spoken out against things like the NVES.
"They have spoken out against things like fringe benefits tax (FBT), which continues to disproportionately serve the sale of dual cab utes – not what I would consider to be a far more progressive style of transportation, which is electric vehicles.
"So it doesn't sit with our brand to rejoin. I've always said and will continue to say if that position changes, then of course it makes sense for us to join a vehicle-based chamber that represents the industry. But at the moment, I think it represents the industry [only] in part."
MORE: Everything Polestar
MORE: What the first emissions standard means for Aussie car buyers
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AU Financial Review
43 minutes ago
- AU Financial Review
AI firms crawling Nine Entertainment's news sites 10 times a second
ChatGPT owner OpenAI, Perplexity and other artificial intelligence giants are crawling and scraping major Australian news websites tens of millions of times a month despite those media companies taking explicit steps to prevent it from happening. New figures from Australia's biggest media company, Nine Entertainment, reveal the sheer number of times OpenAI and its rivals are scraping news outlets to inform their AI products. The rise of ChatGPT and other AI products have fuelled OpenAI's rapid rise to a $770 billion valuation.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Automaker boss says road ‘slug' must be fair
A leading electric automotive brand has urged the Federal Government not to 'slug' motorists with a new road user charge (RUC) that unfairly targets electric vehicle (EV) owners. Polestar's Australian boss Scott Maynard said the fuel excise gap created by EV adoption is an opportunity to consider the 'whole transport ecosystem' not simply a new charge targeting zero-emission drivers. 'Motorists are already subject to stamp duty, registration fees, fuel excise, Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT), Luxury Car Tax (LCT) in some cases, as well as tolls and parking space levies in the CBD,' he said. Earlier this week the Productivity Commission suggested a per-kilometre charge for electric vehicle (EV) owners as the fuel excise revenue is shrinking as more Australians switch to EVs. Maynard said the scheme, which Treasurer Jim Chalmers is fast-tracking, could be fair but only if it's applied equally across all vehicles and not used to squeeze money from drivers. 'Driving is an essential activity, so it's important the government has a clear understanding of what it would be seeking to achieve with a road user charge. Only when we understand that question can a framework be developed, and commentary applied,' he said. The Swedish EV maker argued that revenue from any new scheme should be ring-fenced for road maintenance and infrastructure, unlike fuel excise which 'just goes into the pot of government spending'. 'Transparency is key,' he said. Maynard also warned against a 'one-size-fits-all' approach that could penalise rural and regional drivers. 'We do need to be careful that people in regional and rural areas are not unfairly targeted given the long distances travelled to obtain services such as medical care, education, and household supplies,' he said. 'We don't want to have a situation where people who commute long distances from regional or rural areas are then at a disadvantage to drivers who can afford to live in the inner city.' Maynard suggested Australia should look to 'best practice other markets' and consider both distance and weight to reflect road wear, focus on the biggest emitters, such as heavy vehicles, if cutting carbon is a primary goal. 'I don't think any driver – electric or otherwise – will have an issue with a road user charge system to replace fuel excise as long as it is fair and equitable,' he said. Maynard added that the system should be designed on clear goals, whether reducing congestion, cutting emissions, of funding road maintenance - and if emissions reduction is the aim, 'targeting heavy vehicles with higher emissions should be a priority'. 'Australia will need to identify its goals with a road user charging system and establish a framework accordingly,' he said. 'There's a myriad of issues that need to be addressed before a road user charge can be applied.' The Treasurer's office said that they 'will work with the states and territories on policies in this area, but we'll do it in a considered and consultative way and take the time to get it right'.
Sky News AU
3 hours ago
- Sky News AU
US urges Australia and regional allies to increase military spending, warning that time is running out to deter Beijing
The United States has ramped up its call for a stronger military posture from Australia and its Asian allies, warning they cannot afford to lag behind while European nations dramatically boost their defence spending in response to global threats. With the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific looming, the Pentagon has issued a clear message - deterrence against China must become a collective priority. Senior US defence officials are looking to fortify military ties across the Indo-Pacific, with a pointed focus on Canberra and Tokyo. 'We need our allies to step up,' a US defence official told the Australian. 'How does it make sense for our Asian allies to sit back while the Europeans are stepping up and committing to 5 per cent of GDP to deal with Russia, which is one tenth the GDP of China?' While NATO members agreed in June to lift defence spending to five per cent of GDP, Washington sees Asian partners as lagging behind. South Korea has been singled out as a model ally, praised for its robust defence budget and substantial standing forces. Australia, by contrast, is facing criticism from US officials who argue Canberra is not investing enough, even to fulfil its commitments under AUKUS Pillar 1, which involves acquiring at least three US-built Virginia-class nuclear submarines. 'On defence spending, the objective analysis is that the Australian government is not spending enough on defence, even for Pillar I,' the official continued. 'This is a very real near-term problem. We have essentially no time in defence terms before 2027.' The year 2027 is viewed within the Pentagon as a key strategic benchmark, with intelligence suggesting Beijing could be in a position to launch an attempt to take Taiwan by then. In Washington, there's growing unease that Australia may not be pulling its weight. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's recent Curtin Oration, in which he praised former PM John Curtin for resisting pressure from wartime leaders Churchill and Roosevelt, has reportedly triggered concerns among Trump-aligned figures. The speech was seen as a subtle signal of resistance to rising American expectations, especially in light of mounting calls for Australia to commit more resources to AUKUS and the wider regional deterrence posture. Inside the Pentagon, key strategic goals include strengthening homeland defence, reinvigorating the US industrial base, countering China's growing assertiveness, and ensuring allies 'do more to pick up slack'. The ongoing AUKUS review, led by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, is being described as 'fact-based, rigorous, and empirical'. It covers both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2, the latter focused on sharing advanced defence technologies with Australia and the UK. 'I think the main thrust of the review is to give people a real brass-tacks, clear-eyed understanding of where things stand,' a US official explained. Australia has already pledged $1.6 billion to support the US shipbuilding sector under the AUKUS framework.
