I understood but was just comparing what you get for that large increase in price or perhaps what you don’t get for the much reduced prices of the others and do I really want that badge on the front on my car 
. I guess if I really wanted that badge I could go to a wreckers and pop one off a bonnet…hmmm would that be a TM dispute in the offing.
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For anyone who is in the market for a high performance vehicle, a Porsche has the pedigree. There are fewer remaining excuses for those who can to buy a petrol powered alternative.
BMW and Mercedes are also dipping their toe in the BEV market. Audi (upmarket VW) have dived in with their E-tron.
Our preference would be for an EV that is more shopping centre car park resilient, and cheaper to insure. Although if the transition of the luxury car market to BEV’s gets going. Will there be a rush of government funding to fast charging stations at the local yatch club car park?
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Fast Charging Station funding? I have little doubt there would be a flood of it forthcoming, carefully administered to the right areas like sports funding was delivered.
So I’ll give a 
and a
and a 
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Among the cheapest zero-emissions vehicles now on the market in Australia is the Chinese-made MG ZS EV, which sells for $43,990 - drive away.
The target price for the BYD Hatch currently available in China, $35,000. BYD is more widely known in Australia for it’s home storage batteries and battery electric buses.
The lowest listed price for a new Tesla Model 3, $62,900 plus on road costs?
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Iconic brand VW sold 212,000 EVs in 2020. Just don’t hold your breath waiting to buy one in Australia.
2023 or even 2024 before the first VW Models of the ID3 and ID4 might arrive.
There’s a local demand, even though the vehicles come at a price premium. Not only to their ICE equivalents but at a significantly higher price compared with the same EV including on road costs in the USA, China, or Europe? Admittedly depending on the state of purchase in the USA government subsidies for BEVs can take thousands of dollars off.
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I wonder if part of it is our lack of emissions standards? Why bring in new models when the existing old models can be sold at a similar margin without new R&D. If emissions standards were increased perhaps more manufacturers would opt to offer electric models since they’d have to improve their standards either way
Australia has emission standards…
The current minimum standard for new light vehicles in Australia is ADR 79/04, which is based on the Euro 5 standards.
and
The current standards reflect Australia’s commitment to harmonise with the vehicle standards developed by the United Nations wherever possible.
This is unlikely to be the case as the more models a manufacturer makes, the more expensive production becomes. The Australian standards are a minimum and many EU manufacturered vehicles are the same as in Europe, with exception of being left hand drive. A good example of this was the VW diesel deception where same engine technologies and software were sold worldwide and subject to litigation in many non-European jurisdictions including Australia and US.
We do have standards. They are not a high or best standard. Australia’s targets lag the EU substantially.
Most critically the future EU targets can only be met if a manufacturer brings EVs to the market, while retiring older higher emissions designs. Australia’s targets fall short of delivering this outcome.
If you follow the other topic, it’s evident Australia is not meeting current more relaxed targets for lower emissions. There is a linked table of how far each Australian sold brand is from the current and future targets.
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Two options for two wheelers?
Australia once had a booming motorcycle manufacturing industry. The home grown bicycle businesses were quick to learn and adapt.
No comment on styling, the first motorcycles were more function over style. Fonz Moto is based in Sydney, Savic Motorcycles in Perth.
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I want this. But, it will never be legal in Australia.
Our motoring regulations have already set the double standard! It’s ok to ride an electric scooter (aka motorcycle) with a pinion passenger. Or even a push pedal bicycle.
Globally there are a wide variety of low cost EV’s that are more than capable for the daily school run or shopping trip. Whether the alternatives ever become acceptable to enough Australians for change, we are stuck with what we have for now.
I still prefer an Electric golf cart option, as it can do double duty on the course.
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But not all vehicles have the same requirements?
Otherwise motorcycles and those big trikes would have windscreen wipers and seat belts and air bags and ….
We seem to be happy to make exceptions for so many different types of vehicles including city step through Vespers, older vehicles with no safety devices, older sports cars with no roll over protection, and even LHD.
While the alternative suggested by @SueW might not be suitable for a freeway or motorway, why not around town in 50/60 kph or slower zones? It would seem we have a double standard letting so many other vehicles with zero protection register and use the same streets. Providing they have suitable braking systems, lighting systems and indicators, they are fully ADR compliant.
Perhaps the real issue is the automotive industry does not want a new class of light weight city vehicle introduced, for fear of loosing sales. A $100 billion industry has a substantial lobby for its own interests.
If it’s not so I eagerly await the immediate banning of all vehicles from roads that do not match the current minimum safety standards for a passenger car. How many Harleys would it take to blockade Canberra might be the next question?
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Ashtrays?
For those of us who can hold out till 2026/27.
Although the Bloomberg analysis is not Australia specific. Whether the decreasing cost leads to adequate levels of supply in Australia at that time? Our current limited model choices for BEVs suggest it will require government policy for change, sooner rather than later.
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Policy for something not for miners, fossil fuel companies, or property developers?
That thought might be better placed in a humour category 
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It won’t be the automotive industry. The Australian automotive industry is ine of the more diverse in the world ahd I am sure another cheap model would be a desirable import, to satisfy consumer quest to save money.
It will be driven by government policy, safety and social cost. of the factors determining the cost of mandatory third party insurance is safety standards of all vehicles sold. If there was a lessening of the standard to allow any vehicles to enter Australia, except third party insurance (and any comprehensive car insurance) to increase significantly to cover increased injury and death from less safe vehicles.
Do the importers want to save consumers’ money or maximise their profits?
Our market is remote, comparatively small, and expensive to service. The manufacturers have generally been reducing choice not increasing it. How many of a vehicle do they need to sell to justify related infrastructure and support costs? 1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000 or more? If they brought in another vehicle or another class of vehicle they would weigh up the P/L against their current offering, and more likely discontinue a model or not introduce ‘new’ that would affect the sales of their current line up.
That too.
A number of us have expressed our opinion that Australia is often a dumping ground for old technology, and this is probably not so different. We were sold VHS tapes when PVRs were the norm; we were sold SD TVs when HD was out; my new car from the dealer in 2019 was a 2017 year build in the EU, … , …
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One mustn’t confuse pulling models or makes which don’t sell or lose money for the manufacturer/retailer. Australia has more vehicle brands and models than many other countries, and possibly leads the world for countries of comparable size. We have been lucky with this diversity, but it does come at a cost…
Selling a cheap high volume car with relatively small dollar margin, is better than selling few or none with higher dollar margins.
Consumers have an appetite for lower costs, manufacturers for making money. Cheap vehicles which don’t meet current ADR safety requirements satisifies both, at the expense of safety (or increased injury/death).
This is opinion and not based on fact. There are many car manufacturers and models which can’t be imported as they fail Australia’s relatively high safety standards and the technology required to achieve these standards.
These safety standards are driven by community expectations which drives government policy and safety requirements. Safety standards will continue to increase as there are expectations products are safe to use. Even Choice is running campaigns along these lines.
This. If you look at the specs for some of these more recent enclosed mobility scooters, you’ll see they likely do meet current standards. I’d trust the one I linked, much more than the unbalanced (and fugly) looking Rainrider which is legal in Australia and which is the only one of its class which is.
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