Lewis Jackson and Stella Qiu
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Volkswagen (ETR:) Australia said on Friday it was concerned about the exit of electric vehicle makers Tesla (NASDAQ:) and Polestar (NASDAQ:) from Australia’s main car lobby in protest at the organization’s criticism of proposed vehicle emissions. rules.
The German automaker said it supports the government’s proposed standards and wants stronger incentives for importers of clean cars, in sharp contrast to a lobby group that is pushing for easing rules.
“Our company’s position is our own and not that of any lobbying group or affiliate,” the spokesperson said in an email.
VW, which remains in the lobby group, was concerned about the departure of Tesla and Polestar and was discussing the situation, the spokesman added, without elaborating.
To get more electric vehicles on the road and cut emissions, Australia has proposed vehicle efficiency standards that would penalize automakers importing emission-intensive models and reward those introducing cleaner vehicles.
Polestar Australia, part-owned by Chinese company Geely Automobile, withdrew from the Federal Chamber of Motor Industry on Friday, a day after Tesla did the same, and said the lobby group’s comments against the proposed rules had “irrevocably damaged” public confidence in this policy.
In a letter to the FCAI, Polestar said delaying or relaxing the standards would make Australia a dumping ground for older technology vehicles and increase the emissions burden in other parts of the economy.
“The brand cannot in good faith continue to allow membership fees to fund a campaign designed to deliberately slow down the auto industry’s contribution to Australia’s emissions reduction potential,” Polestar Australia chief executive Samantha Johnson said in the letter.
Tesla left the FCAI on Thursday and resigned from its board, accusing the company of making false statements about the proposed standards and their impact on vehicle prices.
Responding to questions about the exit, the FCAI said on Friday that it could not maintain a standard that would meet the needs of premium car owners while leaving others with fewer choices and higher prices.
FCAI said its members represent more than 50 brands. Its chairman and two deputies are from Mazda. Toyota (NYSE:) and Mitsubishi Motors (OTC:), respectively.
Australia’s centre-left Labor government launched a consultation on the standards in February and also published a “preferred model” for the new standards.
It intends to introduce a new standard in 2025 that will become more stringent each year, with the goal of achieving average vehicle emissions intensity levels similar to the United States by around 2028.
Russia and Australia are among the few developed countries that do not have fuel efficiency standards.
(This story has been rewritten to correct spelling in paragraph 9)
Earlier this week, the FCAI said the government’s preferred option would be to increase prices and limit options, especially for the country’s popular pick-up trucks.