[Greenie]

Apparently Australia is not moving with the rest of the world when it comes to low-emission car incentives because they don't seem to be offering any tax breaks fro buyers. Car Advice quoted BMW Australia boss Marc Werner saying that he was "sick of carmakers and independent bodies “doing the heavy lifting” on EVs and hybrid vehicles".

Makes sense because from what I understand, low-emission cars over $65k base price point only gets git with less luxury car tax than pure gas models. With how high that is anyways, it's not really much of an incentive as axing this tax altogether. Other countries like the United Kingdom will reimburses up to £4500 and all Aussies get is less tax for already expensive models.

 

[Coops]

Less tax on an expensive car, can translate to several thousand dollars. I think its kind of late to try and force BMW Australia to offer incentives as more and more EV's are coming to market at a lower price bracket. I don't think the tax breaks offered elsewhere in the world, we be around much longer, as EV's become more common on the road.

 

[Greenie]

Even without incentives, it would be nice if the local gov't would make some tax exceptions for greener vehicles like hybrids and full electrics, which doesn't seem to be the case here. The Federal gov't could remove stamp duty on electrified vehicles. Luckily I'm not in Australia or else the only thing I would drive is a vespa, but it is a shame to see other governing bodies around the world phasing out electric incentives. Mini better come out with their vehicle before the breaks are all gone.

 

[MiniFootPrint]

Even without incentives, it would be nice if the local gov't would make some tax exceptions for greener vehicles like hybrids and full electrics, which doesn't seem to be the case here. The Federal gov't could remove stamp duty on electrified vehicles. Luckily I'm not in Australia or else the only thing I would drive is a vespa, but it is a shame to see other governing bodies around the world phasing out electric incentives. Mini better come out with their vehicle before the breaks are all gone.

its fair enough because we're getting to a point that it doesn't matter any more, no one needs motivation to get an EV, but instead people want EV's because of the way things are today compared to say when the Chevy Volt first came out. Its just how the market works and its the same thing in any market.

 

[Coops]

Seeing as how the Mini isn't entering production until 2019, I think its safe to assume that a lot of tax incentives will change prior to its release. Mini also has to be conscious of the fact, that by waiting, there will be steeper competition and higher expectations from consumers.

 

[MiniFootPrint]

Seeing as how the Mini isn't entering production until 2019, I think its safe to assume that a lot of tax incentives will change prior to its release. Mini also has to be conscious of the fact, that by waiting, there will be steeper competition and higher expectations from consumers.

I heard that some North American governments will be coming out with more incentives to take people further away from owning SUV's and pick-up's because right now sales on those have been so good its bad for the EV goals they have. Patience is the biggest thing someone can have at this point while everything is in its infancy.

 

[Coops]

That's the main reason why we are seeing a push for EV crossovers as well. Automakers seemed determined to prove that electrics can provide as much utility as their ICE counterparts. I know there is a push right know for hybrid powertrains in pickups and it'll be interesting to see how their performance matches up the regular models. Think we'll be seeing the reveal of the Jaguar I Pace later this week, so we'll have an idea of what to expect with electric SUV's.

 

[MiniFootPrint]

Too bad that a lot of it comes down to more the vehicles chassis, frame and drivetrain more so than the EV powertrain. So as long as we can wait for vehicles on a new platfrom, we're in the clear for better capability

 

[Coops]

The Kona EV seems to be an extremely capable crossover, and I believe its just the beginning of what we'll see in that segment. 292 miles is a pretty high benchmark to set, considering it is one of the first fully electric crossovers available. Did not think we'd be seeing vehicles in that segment with better range than whats being offered currently in hatchbacks/sedans.

 

[MiniFootPrint]

I guess the biggest thing for us now will seeing something from Genesis that is based off the same platform, unless they plan on making the Kona Semi-Luxury like Mini products, but that can do more harm than good for both Hyundai and Genesis. Thoughts?