Polestar heading downunder
Thursday, 11 March 2021
It started life as an independent racing team, got bought by Volvo to become the brands official racing team, then became the performance sub-brand for Volvo road cars and finally became a car maker in its own right under Geely ownership.
And now Polestar (the brand – we’ve had Polestar-badged Volvos before) will be finally making its way to New Zealand.
The company has announced that it will expand its market footprint further in 2021 with the addition of five new markets in the Asia Pacific region. After initially concentrating on Europe, Polestar has since made moves into North American and China, but the new announcement will see it move into South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and right here in New Zealand.
“The brand is gathering real momentum, and it is great to be expanding with Polestar 2 beyond our initial global markets in China, North America and Europe,” said Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar.
**READ MORE:
* Polestar unveils its first car
* Volvo Cars and owner Geely consider merger deal
* Volvo's Polestar opens China factory to export to Europe, US
* China's Geely geared up for global push with Volvo-shared platform
**
The company says that preparations in these markets are at “different stages as the brand organises market launches and eventually the opening of online sales.”
Specific dates and details for each market will be published locally to include model specification and product pricing.
Despite its continuing close links to Volvo (the companies are both owned by China’s Geely Auto Group and share a platform), Polestar is set up as an independent company and says local operations “will not be operated by existing local Volvo Cars enterprises.”
However, it went on to say that “Volvo Cars enterprises in these markets may assist in the establishment of the brand, as well as with the service and maintenance of Polestar vehicles.”
In South Korea and Australia, local independent Polestar sales units are being established and new managing directors have already been appointed. Jongsung Ham will head up Polestar in South Korea, and in Australia the local organisation will be led by Samantha Johnson, a former Volvo Australia executive.
Polestar says that other markets will likely be operated on an importer basis, with local partners to be confirmed in due course. It has revealed no details about the New Zealand operation yet.
“Specific roll-out timing is at an advanced planning stage and the recruitment of key individuals has begun,” comments Nathan Forshaw, Polestar’s new head of the China and Asia Pacific regions.
“While we are growing rapidly, we are ensuring both our organisation and processes ensure a consistent and truly Polestar experience for our customers, wherever they are based.”
Polestar currently sells two cars; the Polestar 1 coupe and the Polestar 2 SUV. The Polestar 1 is a plug-in hybrid that uses Volvo’s 2.0-litre “twincharger” engine that is boosted by a turbo and supercharger, as well as two electric motor with a 34 kWh battery pack, whereas the Polestar 2 is a pure EV that sits on the same CMA platform as Volvo’s XC40 and new C40 EV, and packs two electric motors and a 78 kWh battery pack.
The company also announced that it would be putting its stunning Precept concept car into production, but has yet to announce a date for that.
Exact local model specifications and pricing information will be confirmed closer to market launch timing.