Into the woods

Sustainability, serenity and power meet on the road to North Queensland's Daintree Rainforest

- NOELLE FAULKNER

IN RECENT YEARS, GREENWASHING, consumer blame shifts and marketing speak have made many of us question the credentials of brands that tout sustainability as a selling point.

Few industries have shown the gap between promise and practice as starkly as motoring, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, where SUVs and large commercial-built vehicles dominate, and our preference for high-performance places us as one of the biggest buyers of this category of car per capita. And yet, we are edging towards becoming the canary in the climate change coalmine, where consequence is reflected in the fragility of our most beautiful natural places. The World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest is one of these places - the world’s oldest rainforest, which has survived for more than 180 million years, but remains vulnerable.

It can be argued that to appreciate what you have, you also have to experience it. With that in mind, a GT road trip to this spiritual, ancient rainforest calls for a car that can speak to the modern Australian desire of performance, luxury and user-friendly technology; but also deliver enough climate credentials so as not to make one feel guilty.

Polestar may be the only marque that meets these requirements - the Swedish electric car maker is a leader in sustainability, through its manufacturing, focus on car longevity and lifecycle impact, eco-friendly material engineering and industry education. It is the only car brand that publishes full lifecycle assessment and carbon footprint reports for all its models, including its shortcomings and methodologies, so that other companies can learn and adapt. It also happens to be a brand founded in design and performance – the cars are beautiful and sporty, especially our North Queensland steed, the Polestar 3 SUV.