The Australian public are joining the masses across much of the Western world in revolting against Electric Vehicle mandates and subsidies. Despite massive marketing pushes and governmental incentive programs, not a single so-called “Zero Emissions Vehicle” now ranks among the top ten selling vehicles.
Despite an escalating regulatory and marketing push for electric vehicles, the country’s two most popular all-electric vehicles—the MG ZS SUV, the Tesla Model 3, and the Tesla Model Y—have completely disappeared from the Monthly Top 10 list published by the Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. All three have been regular members of the list since 2022.
This time, however, the Toyota Rav 4 topped the list, something it hasn’t done since August of 2020. Its April sales numbers were up 166.5% over last year. The Rav 4 is available in gasoline and gas-electric hybrid models.
Another Toyota which is available both as a conventional vehicle and as a hybrid, the Camry sedan, took the number 9 slot on the list with a 226% increase over last April.
The remainder of the list was populated by 6 liquid-fueled vehicles and 2 other hybrid or hybrid-optional vehicles. The market for environmentally-conscious motoring is now dominated by hybrids, which enjoyed an 18.3 percent market share (more than twice that which it enjoyed last April). Meanwhile, all-electric vehicles saw their market share drop by nearly two percent over the same period.
The public’s waning interest in all-electric vehicles is materializing just ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s “New Vehicle Efficiency Standard” which sets a target of a 59 percent reduction in vehicle emissions over the next four years. The standard includes stiff penalties for the sale of diesel, gasoline, and hybrid vehicles. There is not a single, diesel, gasoline, or hybrid vehicle currently on the market that meets the emissions quotas set by the Albanese government. The new plan is scheduled to take effect on the first of January, 2025.
