Australia Hostile to Hybrids and EVs: Holden

The low price of fuel, a lack of government support and low consumer interest have made Australia a tough place to sell hybrid and electric cars, according to a high-ranking Holden executive.

Speaking with TMR at the local launch of the Astra and Cascada, Holden Executive Director of Sales Peter Keley said that the fortunes of the petrol-electric Volt were limited thanks to a number of factors.

And, with the next-generation Volt confirmed to be LHD-only and the Bolt small EV not yet confirmed for RHD production, the future for Holden-badged eco cars is looking murky.

But the availability of product isn’t the only limiting factor. According to Keley, the high premium associated with electric and hybrid vehicles has been a handicap from the start.

“The Australian consumer tends to be quite pragmatic,” he told TMR.

“They have a ‘show me’ atttitude. If I’m going to spend ‘X’ thousands of dollars more to obtain this technology to lower fuel consumption and running costs etc, there needs to be a pragmatic business case for me as a consumer. 

“And that’s lacking, it doesn’t stack up [for Volt].”