Electro performance meets minimalist design
Polestar, the Swedish car brand, opened its first German showroom in
Düsseldorf in August 2020.
At first sight the Polestar’s showroom on Berliner Allee appears to more like an art gallery. The minimalist, monochrome interiors create a calm atmosphere, so that customers – at their own pace – can focus on what is at the heart here: electric cars. Car parts like glassed-in brakes or batteries can be admired like art exhibits, colour- or material samples are thoughtfully placed on tables, together with background information. On an interactive screen it is possible to configure the Polestar car of your dreams. And if further assistance is required a Polestar expert is at hand. “Our expert advisors do not work on commission. That takes off the pressure to make a sale and offers a tangible additional benefit to the customer experience and also for the manufacturer. All our advisors are similar in their expertise and enthusiasm for electric cars – and that is we aim to communicate,” explains Alexander Lutz, Managing Director of Polestar Germany.
Düsseldorf is the location of the first Polestar Space in Germany – the first one ever opened its doors in Oslo in 2019. Polestar used to be Volvo’s tuning-brand, took part in, amongst others, touring car championships, and was then further developed as an electro performance brand in its own right. Joint-owner is the car manufacturer Geely in China, where already more than 600,000 Polestar cars have been produced. At the helm of the bi-national organisation sits CEO Thomas Ingenlath. Born in Krefeld, he used to be the Head of Design at Volvo, which is reflected in the look of the Polestar cars: “The closeness to Volvo’s style of design is intentional. We also share brand values like safety and sustainability – we are, however, more dedicated to performance and more avant-garde,” says Alexander Lutz.
Alexander Lutz has been managing the Polestar brand in Germany as Managing Director since August 2019.
The organisation complements the centrally located showroom space with a digital-first retail model: on the website interested parties cannot just gather information, but configure a car to their individual desire, put in an order to book a test drive. There are seven test drive hubs across Germany, which make it possible to get a personal feel for the car in action. With regards to dealerships the electric carmaker has chosen to use the expertise of prestigious local dealerships – Autohaus Moll is the premium partner in Düsseldorf. “We decided that we do not need to do everything ourselves, but to share work with the investors. Very experienced car dealerships such as Autohaus Moll are highly esteemed partners with decades of experience and expertise with regards to local markets,” Alexander Lutz explains.
So far the corporation is selling two types of electric performance cars (see info box): Polestar 1 is a sports car with hybrid power and as the vastest range in its class with 124 kilometres (as of November 13th, 2020). Polestar 2, a five-door fastback, is fully electric and has a range of 470 kilometres. It is the first car, ever, to house an integrated Google infotainment system.
Polestar is part of fast growing market – projections show an increase of sales to about 250,000 electric cars – which corresponds to a growth of 230 per cent in comparison to the previous year and a market share of almost 9 per cent. Moreover, the pandemic may well have given an additional push to people’s growing interest in sustainability and the part that electro mobility plays. Next to being environmentally friendly, electric cars do, however, have far more advantages towards combustion- or diesel powered vehicles: they, for example, accelerate faster, they are quieter and offer more boot space. Even with regards to the much discussed topic of range the manufacturers are improving, as shown by Polestar.
“Being electro manufacturers we have
to optimise charging technologies and we
have to contribute to the expansion
of the infrastructure.”
Alexander Lutz feels there is a lot more with potential for improvement: “Being electro manufacturers we have to optimise charging technologies and we have to contribute to the expansion of the infrastructure.” The latter is comparatively good in Düsseldorf: more and more charging stations are being installed in different parts of the city and there is, for example, free parking for electric cars in the city centre. “Moreover, current politics are supporting the change by increasing the innovation premium, which in our case is 5,000 Euro. There has never been a better point in time to purchase an electric car,” says Alexander Lutz. The Swedish manufacturer itself contributes 2,500 Euros to a new purchase, so that – depreciation included – it is possible to save around a net 8,000 Euro when purchasing the Polestar 2.
Düsseldorf and Polestar are clearly a good match. “We have been welcomed here with open arms and have been met with a lot of customer interest,” delights Alexander Lutz. By 2021 more showrooms will open in Hamburg, Berlin, Köln, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich. And the new Polestar 3 is already raring to go – his premiere is scheduled for 2022. •
About polestar
• Als eigenständige Marke gehört Polestar zu gleichen Anteilen dem schwedischen Autokonzern Volvo und dem chinesischen Autobauer Geely Holding. Weltweit beschäftigt Polestar derzeit rund 350 Mitarbeiter, 40 davon in Deutschland.
• Polestar 1 ist ein Elektro-Hybrid Grand Tourer; Leistung: 609 PS, 1.000 Nm Dreh-moment, Beschleunigung von 0 auf 100 km/H in 4,2 Sekunden; Preis: ab 151.092 Euro.
• Polestar 2 ist eine vollelektrische Fließheck-Limousine; Leistung: 408 PS, 660 Nm Drehmoment, Beschleunigung von 0 auf 100 km/H in 4,7 Sekunden; Preis: ab 53.540 Euro
• Polestar 3 ist als aerodynamischer SUV angekündigt. Marktstart ist voraussichtlich 2022.
Words: Tom Corrinth
Pictures: PR