Toyota recently announced it's planning to ramp up sales of its zero- and low-emissions vehicles in Australia, but Polestar claims it's still aiming to be under the average.
The Japanese carmaker is aiming to have 30 per cent of its local sales be battery electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hydrogen fuel-cell (FCEV) by the end of 2030.
"Surely that's a conservative view, given that we're at 25 per cent now," said Polestar Australia Managing Director Scott Maynard.
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"So by the end of the decade, if you're building 30 per cent, I would expect the market could well be running ahead of that.
"So you're still aiming to be behind."
Dramatic increase in EV and PHEV sales in Australia
Until the end of September this year, sales of EVs, PHEVs and FCEVs made up 27.8 per cent of the overall market share. A total of 265,870 were sold until the end of September, which is up 132.2 per cent year-on-year.
There are a number of key drivers for this increase in zero- and low-emissions vehicles sales including the increase in fuel prices, more options from new brands at lucrative price points, as well as the Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) exemption for EVs, among others.
The Tesla Model Y stands out as a major reason for why sales of zero- and low-emissions vehicles have grown so much. A total of 35,930 examples have been sold until the end of September, which is up 108.4 per cent year-on-year.
This firmly makes it Australia's best-selling EV. In fact it was the best-selling car overall during May, June and August this year, beating the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Toyota RAV4.
Toyota ramping up EV sales, but Polestar sales declining
With the launch of the facelifted bZ4X earlier this year and the recent addition of the new bZ4X Touring, Toyota is currently experiencing record sales of its EV. They're almost five times more than the same point in 2025.
Toyota also already has the fleet-oriented and low-volume HiLux BEV and in mid-2027 will launch the C-HR BEV as a smaller electric SUV.
While 100 per cent of Polestar's vehicles are EVs, local sales are down 10 per cent year-on-year. A total of 1681 vehicles were sold until the end of September.
Polestar's best-seller has been the Polestar 4 for a considerable period now and it's soon gaining an SUV body style with an actual rear window. This should see sales for this model increase further.