By EWAN KENNEDY
5 December 2005

Just how serious are Australian drivers about buying cars that are kinder to the environment? Sadly, I suspect not very serious at all. The recent increase in fuel prices saw a drop in sales of large cars and big SUVs and increases in the number of small new small cars being registered. We also had a drop in overall vehicle sales, reversing an upsurge that’s gone on for several years.

It seems blindingly obvious this swing to smaller, more economical cars was chiefly caused by pain being felt in the hip pocket nerve – not by any desire to put fewer harmful pollutants into the air.

Is it a fact of life that the only way to get through to the great majority of people is to slug them for extra money as has just happened with the oil-price increases?

Almost certainly yes, but the recent hue and cry over the price rises of petrol and diesel must have had politicians worried about possible backlashes at poling booths. Any Australian politician who campaigned on an increase of fuel prices to help clean up the air would soon become nothing but a large and interesting footnote in history.

It would also be wrong to put a tax on new vehicles. New car buying should be encouraged because the latest generation cars invariably put out fewer harmful emissions than older ones. The upcoming Euro III and Euro IV engines which are already appearing in a lot of cars and will soon be mandated in most engines sold in Australia, are not only cleaner but also monitor their own ‘health’.

An increase in emissions because of problems within the engine and/or its related management systems will be picked up by sensors and result in a warning light appearing on the dash. It’s then up to the driver to approach the car’s dealership. Hopefully most will do that.

Toyota is arguably the most powerful car maker on the planet at the moment. It also has the greatest sales in petrol/electric hybrids with its Prius. At the other end of the Toyota scale is the LandCruiser, originally designed as a big working truck, though often used as a suburban runabout these days.

In Australia the LandCruiser wagon is outselling the Prius by almost ten to one. A lot more people need a medium five-seat car than a large 4WD, yet it’s the big wagon that’s getting the nod by an overwhelming margin.

These Toyota results almost certainly point to the attitudes of buyers across the whole spectrum of passenger vehicles in Australia.

Putting more tax on fuel isn’t a viable option, though it worked in Europe decades ago it is hard to see it working in Australia. In any case it discriminates against people who travel long distance and also hurts those who genuinely have the need for a large car. Similarly, adding an extra tax to the new price of larger cars could have a negative effect on too many people.

Just what is the answer on pushing people into driving cleaner cars? I wish I knew.