Rumour are rife that the Government is looking to emulate their great successes in KiwiRail and KiwiBuild, by bringing in their own “KiwiCar”:
MotoringNZ made contact with the MIA after being alerted by another industry involver, who said he had also heard the talk and believed it held water.
His understanding was that the Government was considering entering in a direct partnership with a brand, not yet represented here but showing signs of coming in, in expectation this could best provide electric cars at a lower price than any currently in the market.
As he understood it, the idea was to favour a specific brand and bypass the orthodox distributor and dealership franchise model for a direct selling approach, with consumers also being offered attractive finance support, perhaps from Kiwibank.
The Government has made no bones that it wants to encourage New Zealanders to favour efficient cars, particularly hybrids and electrics, and already insists Government departments use EVs when practicable. […]
In the May 20 Budget Government indicated a ‘feebate’ – which makes EVs cheaper and gas guzzlers more expensive – may be installed.
Additionally, Finance Minister Grant Robertson also announced $302 million had been put aside for an unnamed policy “to implement a regime to incentivise the uptake of low-emissions vehicles”.
No further details were provided in the Budget, aside from statements that the “initiative will build demand for buyers of zero and low-emission vehicles” and that design work was still being completed. The public will find out more in a few weeks’ time, Climate Minister James Shaw told the Stuff website.
Hmmm…I know that Labour likes to brand everything “Kiwi”…but surely this is begging for the Maori equivalent of the ‘People’s Car‘…like the Iwi Waka Hiko. I’m sure they could emulate the success of the last ‘People’s Car’.
Knowing Labour they’ll call it “KiwiCar” and promise to deliver 10,000 per annum for ten years…and then actually deliver a single old Lada with a boot full of 10 lead-acid batteries connected to a diesel engine.
Basically though it sounds like we’re going to spend $300 million subsidising urban elite lefty wankers into smugmobiles from China…all powered by that nice clean Indonesian coal that we import to keep Huntly going.
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