The Polestar model is certainly one of many to enter the worldwide automotive market over the previous 5 years.
The announcement that it might grow to be its personal model – subsequently separate from Volvo the place it existed as a division for high-performance automobiles – got here in October 2017, when Volvo Automobiles and Geely introduced the brand new model could be devoted to EVs, precisely 20 years after its basis by Flash / Polestar Racing.
A Distinctive Philosophy
The unique thought of the spin-off Polestar was to create a devoted automobile model to compete within the rising electrified automobile market. The primary mannequin was the Polestar 1, a big plug-in hybrid luxurious coupe, which opened the doorways and markets to the Polestar 2 all-electric midsize sedan, a direct rival to the Tesla Mannequin 3.
Between 2020, when the primary automobiles had been made obtainable, and Could 2023, Polestar offered round 110,000 autos worldwide – a fairly good determine for a brand new ‘signature’ within the premium phase. By comparability, for instance, DS Vehicles, Citroen’s premium standalone model since 2014, offered 179,000 items in the identical interval.
A Higher Volvo?
The confusion between the positioning of Polestar and Volvo began when the latter launched its first absolutely electrical autonomous mannequin, the Volvo C40.
The small SUV coupe reminded the general public that Volvo additionally plans to supply premium electrical autos, one thing that has led to questions on how a lot the 2 manufacturers may differentiate themselves sooner or later with such the same aim.
Subsequently, Polestar then offered the Polestar 3, virtually concurrently with the reveal by Volvo of the brand new EX90, the non secular inheritor of the XC90. Each of those automobiles are giant premium electrical SUVs, however the distinction lies of their development philosophy.
Certainly, Polestar bases its existence on three elementary pillars: design, innovation, and sustainability. Polestar needs to supply a climate-neutral automobile by 2030: an thought not very completely different from Volvo’s values and goals. So what can be, concretely, their distinction?
In my view, Polestar is an extension of Volvo automobiles with a barely extra unique strategy. Simply as Cupra is for Seat, however with even fewer variations. Polestar represents the cutting-edge of electrical autos for the Geely group, which implies it’s only one step above Volvo. A minimum of, that is how I see it based mostly on the positioning of the Polestar 2 and the upcoming Polestar 3 and 4.
When the present development is for brand new manufacturers with the pliability of a startup, Polestar performs precisely that function inside the premium automobile market. Tesla is the benchmark, but it surely’s tougher to compete with a heritage model like Volvo, extensively recognized for its combustion engine automobiles. By creating a brand new model, Geely has ensured that it participates within the race in a greater and impartial manner.
Volvo Will Additionally Grow to be Totally Electrical
The problem for the 2 manufacturers can be making sense of the whole lot, as soon as there are solely zero-emission automobiles on the worth listing for each. The shift from combustion to electrical energy has inspired automakers to create manufacturers or sub-brands that may be higher positioned inside the new period. Because of this, for instance, BMW created the “i” sub-brand and Mercedes invented the “EQ” household.
However in the end the transition can be full, and when there’s an virtually completely electrical providing, producers must attempt to keep away from any potential redundancy between these manufacturers. The aim of Geely and Volvo Automobiles is to place Polestar as an actual various, with out hurting Volvo’s gross sales.
Solely time and the way the general public reacts to approaching Polestar fashions will inform. For now, each manufacturers can simply coexist.
The writer of the article, Felipe Munoz, is an Automotive Trade Specialist at JATO Dynamics.