Car dealership believes Queensland unprepared for emission changes

A Queensland car dealer reckons our beloved ute lifestyle is under threat from national plans to tighten fuel emission standards that could see less HiLuxes and Rangers on the roads. What do you think? VOTE IN OUR POLL

Auto Centre Townsville's dealer principal Warren Figg said North Queensland was not ready for the Federal Government's plans to roll in Euro6d noxious emissions standards within two years. Picture: Chris Burns.

The principal of a car dealership says Queensland is not ready for national plans to tighten fuel emission standards which would restrict the sale of utes such as Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.

Townsville car dealer Warren Figg said the Federal Government’s transition to Euro 6d noxious emissions standards by December 2025 would affect graziers, grey nomads wanting to tow their caravans, and even those who used heavy commercial vehicles on their weekend fishing trips.

He believed newer vehicles would not have the strength to tow heavy equipment or trailers.

Mr Figg said he had spoken to a manufacturer who knew nothing about it after learning of the government announcement early this month, and he claimed the industry did not know about it.

These changes would push people to electric vehicles and hybrids which he said would be more costly to motorists.

European models might be advantaged because they already had to meet these requirements, and brands such as Peugeot were releasing many new electric vehicles on the Australian market this year.

Herbert MP Phillip Thompson with Auto Centre Townsville's dealer principal Warren Figg. Picture: Supplied.

But some of the heavy commercial vehicles made in countries such as Thailand would unlikely fit to the new standard, he said.

“I can understand them going down this track in a metro area while they have got the facilities better down rural areas, but you’re talking about farmers, their livelihoods,” he said.

“If you’re outback somewhere and own a cattle property, you want power.

“And you don’t want to have to stop and plug into something and charge your batteries again.

“The EV utes won’t do the job, they won’t carry the load.”

Herbert MP Phillip Thompson claimed the sale of utility vehicles and tradies livelihoods were under threat, and that “the Labor Government want to kill the weekend.”

“This is ill-conceived, there has been zero consultation,” Mr Thompson said.

“We have not seen any representatives from Canberra or from Minister Bowen or the Prime Minister’s office in Townsville or the regions to talk to people on how this will affect it.

“We need Australian strategies for Australia … we want government to get out of life, not in our life.”

A Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development spokesman said the timeframe was created after consultation with the automotive industry, to ensure it had enough time to transition to safer and cleaner vehicles.

The transition would not force Australians to buy electric vehicles, he said.

Newly approved vehicle models supplied for the first time would have to comply to the Euro 6 standards by December 2025.

Existing vehicle models would be affected by the new standards in July 2028.

“It is likely that most existing vehicle models will have been updated or replaced by that time with newer models that are already being designed to comply with the new standards,” the spokesman said.

“As equivalent standards have been in place in many other countries for several years, including other markets where utes are popular, such as the US and Canada, manufacturers are ready to make the changes needed to comply with these standards in their new petrol and diesel models.”

The spokesman said the government will also align this transition with a reduction in sulphur limits in petrol, and that it would further communicate these changes to motorists before this is rolled out.

Originally published as Car dealership believes Queensland unprepared for emission changes