This time, **Polestar Australia has defended its decision to withdraw from Australia’s leading automotive industry organisation, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), which is seen as “the overriding factor” by its perceived lack of support for electric cars (“EV)”. ** **
The body’s criticism of Australia’ NVES (Australia’S New Vehicle Efficiency Standard) has now been implemented in a bid to reduce new-vehicle emissions, and Polestar with fellow EV-only brand Tesla decided not to join the FCAI in early 2024.
The FCAI has argued that the NVES “could result in a lower-than-anticipated uptake of low-emission technologies” and could therefore “have the opposite effect of increasing emissions rather than achieving the policy objective… while making new cars more expensive”.
But Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard says the FCAI would have to tone down its stance on the Australian Government’s automotive emissions legislation and low-emissions vehicles in general before the Chinese-owned EV brand will consider rejoining.
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Polestar 2
“We’d need to see the FCAI be truly representative of the entire industry, particularly the industry that’s growing so fast and starting to gobble up share,” he told media during the launch of the lightly updated Polestar 2.
Despite the fact that we still see FCAI speak out against programs such as the new vehicle efficiency scheme and continue to campaign government to change something which was introduced for all the right reasons, only getting us up with other markets around the world, we can’t say that the FC AI would be speaking in our brand. , “It’s a phrase that says.
According to Polestar, it is one of the more progressive brands in electric technology. All of its models, including manufacturing and ownership, are fully transparent to carbon emissions figures from the Geely-owned company’s entire lineage.
meanwhile, Australia’s NVES (NVE) requires auto brands to meet fleet-wide emissions targets that are tighter each year until 2029. If they do not, they are punished financially and organisations such as the FCAI have argued that those costs will be passed on to consumers.
Polestar 3
The FCAI also has said the scheme for emissions reduction ‘could encourage consumers to hold onto older cars for longer’ and may limit “the Australian consumer’s ability to continue accessing the vehicle models and powertrains they want at prices they can afford”.
However, Mr Maynard says there are so many legacy brands that remain fighting this off and that “a lot of the FCAI’s statements and the media coverage surrounding extraordinary price increases which could cost Australian drivers billions of dollars” is ‘blatant scaremongering about all these things.
That’s what makes them want to do that, I can understand why they would – that’t be the one who pays them. They represent those legacy brands, so they are a big part of the FCAI and have to be represented by those brand names; but they don’t represent us. So that’s not going to work, so that’s the way is. Paraphrasing ‘It is an important part of my life to be paraphrased.
The Australian Government’s comparatively relaxed efforts to cut new-vehicle emissions have not given established auto brands an aggressive incentive to embrace fully EVs until now, Mr Maynard says “They can use conventional high emission vehicles to drive sales of the cars that are already in demand.”
His statement said ‘There is an international catalogue of vehicles that would allow them to [reduce emissions] so many of these [legacy] brands.
Polestar 4
It’s just that Australia has been a good place to sell old technology and provide enough volume so they don’t have either the need to introduce or develop new technology. And you could understand why, at this point, that makes them very upset and they have to rail against it,” he said.
Although Polestar’s sales were a significant success in 2025, both locally and globally, it’ll still be one of the most popular niche players in Australia and worldwide. Last year, it was a drop on Tesla’s 28,856 sales with 2373 units delivered to local customers.
Mr Maynard, meanwhile, believes the FCAI and its member brands will eventually have to be fully battery-electric powertrains as demand for EVs continues to grow in the coming years.
There’s an inevitability that EV uptake will continue to evolve and grow, and the market share of electric cars sold in Australia will still be growing so I’m sure at some point the FCAI representing its brands and representing the wider industry will have to change its position on it.
But as the industry evolves, they’ll have to evolve with it; but at this point we seem to be a step back — and certainly way behind us. The , “It’s a great deal of fun.”
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