Articles by Stephen Corby

There are any number of ways to define a luxury car - or indeed the term 'luxury' itself, which means different things to different people, possibly based on how much of it they’ve personally enjoyed.

Good news, Tesla fans - the all-stainless-steel Cybertruck doesn't actually rust, even though it looks like it does, and its owners think it does.Multiple owners of the world's wildest electric vehicle - an off-road-ready SUV that weighs three tonnes and

The New Vehicle Emissions Standards (NVES) is the most controversial topic in the car industry in 2024, and it’s likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future.

Australians are no longer resistant to the idea of buying Chinese cars, because they are instead focussed on value for money, according to the Danny Lenartic, Deputy Managing Director of JAC Motors Australia.

JAC is back, and, with its big, brash and bargain-priced ute - and a national network of more than 50 dealers - it’s going to be hard to miss.

Luxury Car Tax Loophole in Australia.The Luxury Car Tax is one of the most controversial topics in the car industry, and has been since it was introduced way back in 2000. It is, in simple terms, an additional tax that car buyers are forced to pay when they purchase a new vehicle over a price point the government, or at least someone at the ATO, deems is a luxury.At the time of publication (early 2024), the current 2023-24 threshold is set at $76,950 and $89,332 for fuel efficient vehicles - which is any vehicle that uses less than 7.0 litres per 100km. The LCT means you pay an extra 33 per cent of the value of the vehicle above the threshold amount.This means anyone buying a new car above the LCT threshold is paying an additional tax on top of the other government charges for a new vehicle, which already include GST and stamp duty.People who buy luxury yachts or luxury helicopters, luxury watches or luxury luxuries do not pay a luxury tax on those things. Strange.Naturally, as with most taxes, people are curious if there is a luxury car tax loophole and often ask how to avoid luxury car tax in Australia. Sadly, and in order not to ruffle any feathers at the ATO, we have to report there are not any easy, obvious and legal loopholes to avoid paying the LCT. And if there were I might be in trouble for knowing about them.In the past, however, there have been some, shall we say, questionable practices from some dealers, who would reportedly get the LCT refunded from the ATO and then re-sell that car without including the LCT. However, the ATO cracked down on this behaviour back in 2021.One possible loophole that remains is that the LCT only applies to cars that are two years old or newer, so if the car sits on the showroom floor for more than two years, in theory you can avoid paying the LCT as it is no longer considered a ‘new’ car. However, this does require owning a car dealership, or being prepared to wait two years for a car to sit on a dealer lot - which is unlikely to happen by accident.Yes, it’s quite easy. You just need to buy a car under the threshold and you will avoid paying any LCT.Unfortunately for those looking to save money on their tax bill the government and ATO have been quite clever in the way it they have implemented the LCT. It simply adds the additional tax to any and all vehicles above the threshold, which makes cheating the system nearly impossible.Ultimately, that means plenty of new vehicles not traditionally considered ‘luxury’ are hit with the LCT, which includes the likes of the Toyota LandCruiser, Hyundai Palisade and Ford Ranger.If those cars are luxury, I'm a helicopter.

One of the most controversial taxes the Australian Government has enacted. Theoretically, it’s designed to raise more revenue to pay for road infrastructure funding by adding an additional tax on new vehicles the government deems as ‘luxurious.’

Polestar led with the stunning Polestar 1 coupe. But built in left-hand drive only it never made it to Australia. In recent years the brand has built its presence here with the Polestar 2 sedan and soon it will be joined by the Polestar 3 EV SUV. Steve Corby has had an early drive of this much-anticipated newcomer... in the Arctic Circle... on snow and ice!

Sure, we all know things are tough, but clearly they’re less tough for some of us, because luxury car sales - and we mean genuinely luxury ones - have been on the rise over the past decade.

Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that Tesla has changed the car industry, and indeed the world.