Albanese Backs a Return of Australian Car Manufacturing Focused on EVs
The push targets EV components such as batteries to cut reliance on Asian supply chains.
Overview
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who spoke Monday at a News Corp event in Melbourne, said there is no reason Australia cannot build electric vehicles.
- He said local firms could at least make parts and batteries to reduce dependence on overseas production, noting companies are already exploring component work.
- Industry feasibility remains uncertain, with Ford’s 2013 figures showing local build costs about twice Europe and four times Asia, and no large factory restart has been confirmed.
- Chery’s global president urged policy changes and greater use of robots to make local production viable, while Australia’s manufacturing growth body argued for an export-ready components base.
- Full-vehicle assembly ended in 2016–2017, and current work is niche, from Walkinshaw and Premcar conversions to projects at Applied EV and parts makers such as PWR, ARB, Redarc, and Savic.