How our Commodore and Falcon addiction is costing us

12/12/2024 02:00 PM

The Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore hold a special place in Australian hearts.

Now that Australia is no longer manufacturing new cars – with Holden the last to shut down its local production lines in 2017 – owners are reluctant to part with their beloved Falcons and Commodores, with cost-of-living pressures making them even less likely to opt for a replacement.

RELATED: This extinct model is still one of the best-selling used cars in Australia

However, according to a new report from the National Transport Commission (NTC), older models like the Holden Commodore are part of the reason Australia's carbon dioxide emissions intensity is significantly higher than that of Europe and the United States.

The comprehensive report studied the 17 million cars registered on our roads since 2003 and found that the average emissions intensity for light vehicles that entered the fleet since 2003 is 193.7g/km compared to an average of 165.2g/km for new cars sold in 2023.

The report has particularly called out Holden and Ford as two of the most popular vehicle makes because – of the top 15 best-selling brands – they had the two highest average emissions intensities across their model line-ups, Holden with 233.4g/km and Ford with 227.3g/km

For context, Suzuki had the lowest with 156.0g/km, while Toyota, with 3.58 million vehicles registered (accounting for 22 per cent of all registered vehicles in Australia), had an average emissions intensity of 202.2g/km.

“Seven years after local manufacturing ended, the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon remain popular, and still in the top 10 of vehicle models on our roads," the report states.

“These models, with a high average emissions intensity of around 260g/km [each], are emblematic of a broader trend: 77 per cent of all vehicles on our roads today with an emissions intensity above 250g/km first entered the fleet between 2003 and 2013. 

“By contrast, 93 per cent of registered vehicles with an emissions intensity of up to 120g/km entered the fleet in the years since 2014.”

Despite some manufacturers offering specific discounts on new cars by getting people to trade in their older vehicles, our love for the Aussie-made Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon endures.

"Our report confirms Australia's enduring love for our Commodores and Falcons. Many years now after local manufacturing ended, these models remain among the top 10 on our roads,” said NTC's CEO and Commissioner Michael Hopkins.

"While they are amongst the 75 per cent of vehicles that have been on our roads for over a decade with an emissions intensity over 250g/km, they were also built here at a time when there were many more small, lower-emitting vehicles on our roads."

Zach Nettleton, a 24-year-old mechanical engineer and owner of a 1996 Ford Falcon XH Ute, previously told Drive you can't buy cars that handle like his anymore.

“You can’t buy a ute that actually handles like a car these days. All new utes are just like two tonnes of steel that don’t drive all that well," he said.

“You don’t stress taking a Falcon anywhere; it’s an Australian car built for Australian conditions. As for the sedans, it’s so rare to be able to buy a new sedan that can comfortably seat four blokes and tow a boat or another car like a Falcon can."

But can that love affair last forever if Australia is lagging behind in cutting emissions? Some think not and say it underlines the importance of the upcoming New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) legislation.

"While Australia is making progress on cutting vehicle emissions intensity, we're still behind many developed countries. Our emissions intensity from new passenger vehicles is slightly above those in the United States and Canada, and significantly higher than the average of European countries," the NTC's Hopkins said.

Meanwhile, the Electric Vehicle Council's Head of Legal, Policy and Advocacy, Aman Gaur, said “Australia's streets are home to some of the world's dirtiest, most inefficient cars, emitting more pollution than vehicles in most developed countries and contaminating the air we breathe”.

"It's encouraging to see that the rise in Australians making the switch to electric vehicles, both battery and plug-in hybrid, is helping reduce air pollution, but we still lag behind many countries in EV adoption. 

"There is still more work to be done to boost EV adoption in Australia – the NVES will help but continued support from governments and industry is essential including through purchase incentives, increased infrastructure and regulatory changes.

“Petrol and diesel cars are not only bad for the environment, they cost more to run compared with electric vehicles. The older the petrol or diesel car is, the more pollution they are likely to emit."

According to Gaur, the federal and state governments need to reintroduce incentives on EVs to encourage more people to part with their older petrol or diesel vehicles.

“Most Australians buy their cars second-hand and the EV used car market is still maturing," he told Drive.

"It’s important that governments introduce incentives for used electric vehicles to help more Australians enjoy the benefits of owning an EV – lower running costs and less air pollution."

While the fact older vehicles like the Holden Commodore are emitting more CO2 than newer cars may come as no surprise, Australia has moved away from smaller vehicles in recent years towards SUVs and light-commercial vehicles – which is also contributing to the problem.

“Australians are buying fewer small vehicles, shifting towards larger vehicles. A decade ago, small vehicles accounted for 24 per cent of all new car sales. In 2023, this had dropped to just 7 per cent of new sales,” the NTC's report noted.

“The growing share of SUVs on our roads has also contributed to a big increase in average vehicle footprint. For example, vehicles first registered in 2003 had an average footprint of 8.29m², but this had increased to 8.78m² in 2023.”

"Vehicles in the small class have dropped from 24 per cent of all sales in 2013. By 2023 it was down to just 7 per cent," said the NTC's Commissioner Hopkins.

"The report highlights that our vehicles are getting bigger… Our research shows Australians have developed a preference for SUVs and there are now 6.48 million on our roads making up 59 per cent of all cars on our roads.

"Nearly all the vehicles (93 per cent) with an emissions intensity of less than, and up to, 120g/km entered the fleet in the years since 2014. 

"From 2017 to 2021, Australia's emissions intensity dropped by less than a per cent each year. Looking back, we actually performed better between 2002 and 2016 when emissions intensity fell by 28 per cent over the period. 

"But there is good news: the emissions intensity for new vehicles sold in 2023 was down by 5 per cent compared to 2022, marking the largest percentage drop since our reporting began."

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