The hard proof that Australians aren’t listening to Anthony Albanese and his push for electric cars

Australians are rebelling against government plans to ban petrol and diesel cars, new vehicle sales figures show.

The Albanian government will start imposing fines on petrol and diesel car manufacturers from next year as part of a plan to reduce CO2 emissions from vehicles by 59 percent by 2029.

The Climate Council wants Australia to go further and ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035, including hybrids, as only ‘zero emission’ vehicles would be allowed.

But motorists don’t seem to be listening to rising sales of diesel engines and a doubling of sales of petrol-electric hybrids in a year, according to sales figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

Diesel cars had a 29 percent market share in March with 31,731 cars sold – 5.5 percent more than in March 2023.

The Ford Ranger, mainly available as a diesel, was the best-selling car in Australia, with sales up 25.6 percent compared to a year ago.

Environmentally conscious drivers are also favoring petrol-electric hybrids over battery-electric cars, following a 4.9 percent decline in petrol car sales.

Sales of hybrid cars more than doubled, rising 165.6 percent to 13,935, up from 5,247 a year earlier.

The Toyota RAV4, available as a hybrid, was Australia’s second most popular car in March, with monthly sales of 5,070, up 185.2 percent from a year earlier.

Sales of plug-in hybrids almost tripled to 1,412, an increase of 148.2 percent from 569.

By comparison, sales of battery electric cars rose a more modest 58.3 percent to 10,464, up from 6,612.

The Tesla Model Y, Australia’s third best-selling car with 4,379 sales in March, was the only electric car in the top 10.

But diesels had five places in the top 10 with the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max, Ford Everest and Toyota LandCruiser.

Hybrids had two spots, including the Toyota RAV4 and Nissan X-Trail, while the plug-in hybrid segment had the Mitsubishi Outlander.

Brian Fisher, managing director of BAEconomics, which does climate change modeling, said a diesel Ford Ranger for under $50,000 was a better choice for tradies than a $92,990 all-electric LDV eT60 in China.

“You can buy a lot of diesel for $45,000,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

“Most professionals will take the safe bet, especially given the cost of capital and the fact that you depreciate them over three years.”

For double the money, the LDV eT60 also tows just one tonne, instead of 3.5 tonnes like a diesel Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux.

“A lot of these devices are used for business and they do a lot of work – when you’re sitting at such a distance,” Dr Fisher said.

“Right now, it seems to me, rationally, that there isn’t much incentive for people to run around and experiment with electrical devices unless they’re early adopters.

“People will be shy about that kind of thing because there aren’t that many around. Are you going to risk it?’

Dr. Fisher said hybrid cars are also a more attractive choice for environmentally conscious drivers concerned about electric car range and charging.

“You reduce your fuel consumption and you reduce loading risk,” he said.

‘You are already seeing stories of people being caught and not being able to charge their car.’

Despite problems with electric vehicle charging, the Climate Council argued that Australia should ban petrol and diesel cars by 2035, saying the European Union was already doing so.

“Based on the pace of vehicle sales, this date should be set no later than 2035 to ensure Australia has a zero-emission fleet by 2050,” the report said.

“The European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and some US states are implementing this approach, with 2035 becoming the common end date for petrol and diesel vehicles in these communities.”

Under the Climate Council’s plan, even petrol-electric hybrid cars would be banned because they still emit CO2 emissions.

“Progress toward ending sales of new gasoline and diesel cars could start with imposing strong limits on vehicle pollution,” the report said.

“These ceilings can then be gradually lowered until 100 percent of new vehicles sold must have zero emissions.”

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen’s National Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), announced in February, aims to impose fines on carmakers that relied too heavily on sales of petrol and diesel cars, including those with hybrid engine.

The government’s plan, which is due to come into effect on January 1, 2025, aims to reduce average CO2 emissions from passenger vehicles to 58 grams of CO2 per kilometer by 2029.

This would represent a 59 percent reduction from the target of 141 grams per kilometer by 2025, as part of Labour’s plan to cut CO2 emissions by 43 percent by 2030.

But the rules would be less strict for light commercial vehicles, including cars and four-wheel drive, with a reduction of 47.6 percent, from 210 grams of CO2 per kilometer in 2025 to 110 g/km in 2029.

No petrol, diesel or hybrid car on sale today would meet these NVES targets. Automakers were fined $100 for every gram their new fleet averaged above a certain threshold.

This would pass costs on to consumers, but it would reward EV makers who could sell carbon credits to their rivals, with the plan expected to reduce the price of a Tesla Model Y by $15,390.

But a diesel-powered Toyota LandCruiser would be $13,250 more expensive, while the 70 Series would emit 281 grams of CO2 per kilometer, FCAI calculations showed.