Shipload of new Tesla and Kia cars turned back
Pesky stink bugs see thousands of Chinese and Korean built vehicles sent back out of Australian watersThe New Year is off to a less than perfect start for Tesla and Kia after thousands of new cars were refused entry into Australia and sent back to China and South Korea on biosecurity grounds.
The Glovis Caravel cargo ship originally set sail from Shanghai but was turned away from Australia following the onboard discovery of live Yellow Spotted Stink Bugs, along with several other high-risk species of insect that could wreak havoc on the local environment and agriculture.
The vessel has a maximum capacity of up to 6500 vehicles and while we don’t know exactly how may vehicles were on board, Kia Australia has spoken for 1000 of them.
“The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has determined that all vehicles on Glovis Caravel will require treatment prior to being allowed to discharge in Australia,” the brand said.
“The vessel has been sent offshore to undertake the required treatment and it is anticipated this cargo will return to Australia during February.
“Around 1000 Kia vehicles are impacted and the Kia dealer network has been notified.”
It’s unclear exactly which Kia models were included in the shipment but we do know the bulk of the Teslas were Model Ys – all Australian examples of which are sourced from China.
Kia is also establishing a global production operation in China, from which Australian examples of the upcoming Kia EV5 electric SUV will be sourced instead of Korea, however, so far no Kia Australia models are produced in China.
Speaking to the potential biosecurity threat, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry spokesperson said Glovis Caravel had “left Australian territory in order to manage the biosecurity risk associated with the goods”.
The infested ship Glovis Caravel has arrived at the Tesla southern port in Shsnghai where it is anticipated the cars will unload after the ship was denied entry to Australia due to stinkbugs after 65 days of waiting in AU@bentv_sh - FYI
— Vedaprime (@VedaPrime) January 2, 2024
Archive Imagehttps://t.co/K8DsqjllAO pic.twitter.com/7HHdDXAITb
“There were multiple detections, including Yellow Spotted Stink Bug which poses significant threat to Australia’s plant health and environment because of the damage it can do to agricultural crops, fruit and ornamental trees.
“The department’s primary concern is the management of biosecurity risk to protect Australia. The goods can be unloaded when biosecurity risks have been managed to an acceptable level.”
Kia and Tesla finished 2023 as two of the 10 most popular auto brands in Australia and will no doubt both be looking to at least maintain their respective fourth and 10th positions in the New Year, so the Glovis Caravel’s rerouting will hurt both brands and their customers as outstanding orders continue to be fulfilled in early 2024.
Related: Ford Australia rents ship to reduce Ranger and Everest wait times
Related: Stink bug crisis delays thousands of new Australian cars
Related: VFACTS 2023 — More than 87,000 EVs sold last year
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