Toronto and Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 18, 2024) - The Canadian automotive industry expressed grave concern over the Government of British Columbia's decision today to unilaterally remove roughly 75% of vehicles that had been eligible for a CleanBC Go Electric rebate of up to $4,000 by changing the program criteria, making purchasing a Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) more expensive in the province overnight. Providing only a 30-day transition period will leave consumers who may have already purchased a vehicle and are awaiting delivery completely in the lurch. An additional change to how the program defines SUVs will also reduce access to the most popular vehicle class for British Columbians and place a chill on the demand for ZEVs in the province.
"We are astonished and extremely disappointed by the announced changes to BC's ZEV rebate program. Not only was this change decided in great haste and without any consultation with the industry, but it contradicts the province's own ZEV ambitions. Excluding 75% of vehicles that had previously qualified for the purchase incentives when price is one of the major hurdles for consumers to adopt ZEVs, makes absolutely no sense. We strongly urge the BC government to reconsider this change and to immediately engage in consultation with the entire industry on how best to proceed," said Tim Reuss, President & CEO, Canadian Automobile Dealers Association.
"British Columbia has the most aggressive ZEV targets in North America at 90% ZEV sales by 2030. Today's announcement to further weaken the ZEV purchase incentive all but guarantees the government's mandated targets will not be met with serious negative consequences for consumers, industry, and the provincial economy," said Brian Kingston, President and CEO, Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association.
"We've never suggested incentives should be in place forever, but they need to be in place until price parity with ICE vehicles is achieved - and we are not close to that. The changes today undermine the government's Go Electric program and make it that much harder for British Columbians who want to go electric to make the switch and make a difficult challenge essentially insurmountable for automakers to meet 90% ZEV sales by 2030," said David Adams, President and CEO, Global Automakers of Canada.
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About the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association
The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) is the national association representing new car and truck dealers. Our 3,200 members are represented in nearly every community and collectively employ 160,000 people across the country.
About the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association
The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association is the industry association that has represented Canada's leading manufacturers of light and heavy duty motor vehicles for more than 90 years. Its membership includes Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited, General Motors of Canada Company, and Stellantis (FCA Canada Inc.). Collectively its members operate 5 vehicle assembly plants as well as engine and components plants and have over 1,300 dealerships. 136,000 jobs are directly tied to vehicle assembly in Canada. Direct and indirect jobs associated with vehicle manufacturing are estimated at over 792,000 across Canada.
About the Global Automakers of Canada:
Global Automakers (GAC) is the national industry association representing the Canadian interests of 16 of the world's most respected automakers.
The GAC advocates for sound public policy to support a competitive and sustainable automotive market in Canada. Our members are committed to meeting the mobility needs of Canadians by providing greater consumer choice, offering leading edge safety and environmental technologies and eliminating unnecessary regulatory and trade barriers.
For further Information:
Tim Reuss: 800-465-3054 - tasso@cada.ca
Brian Kingston: 416.364.9333 - bkingston@cvma.ca
David Adams: 416-333-2873 - dadams@globalautomakers.ca
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/213515
SOURCE: Canadian Auto Dealers Association
