Australian emissions standards “at a standstill”: Hyundai

Hyundai has warned emissions standards in Australia will not be revisited until the next decade, confirming current government discussions were “at a standstill” while the rest of the developed world marched ahead.

Scott Nargar, Hyundai’s senior manager for future mobility and government relations, said plans to upgrade to Euro VI emissions standards in the lead-up to this year’s Federal election have since been abandoned following the Coalition's victory at the polls.

While Euro V standards are 10 years behind European legislation, Nargar revealed he, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) lobbied the Federal government to mandate a minimum standard.

Since Scott Morrison’s reappointment, discussions have been shelved.

“We’re not seeing any change anytime soon with emissions regulations in Australia,” Nargar told journalists at the launch of the updated IONIQ in Sydney this month.

“Unfortunately, post-election, emissions regulations are off the table. I can’t find anyone in Canberra to talk about it, though we spent months and years talking about it with Minister Frydenberg and Minister Fletcher and the department. So we’re... kind of at a standstill at the moment.”

Hyundai Australia chief operating officer John Kett tempered Nargar’s statements by adding the car-maker will work with either side of politics in a bid to meet future emissions standards.

“Behind the scenes we might have a few battles… but we don’t want to sound frustrated because we’re not,” he said.

With the next Federal election likely to be held in May 2021 based on current circumstances, Nargar’s immediate forecast was for “no conversation about emissions regulations” despite the best intentions of the industry.

His sentiments are supported by the continued rollout of new electrified models in Australia from the likes of Hyundai, Volkswagen, Mazda, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and many others.

“If we’re not working with government and industry planning the infrastructure right now, we’re going to have big problems when big volumes of vehicles start coming from many manufacturers,” Nargar warned.