Polestar hits global target of 29,000 sales in 2021, plans to launch SUV in 2022
Meeting its 2021 global sales target and achieving record growth, Polestar plans to continue to expand its retail footprint ahead of launching its next vehicle in 2022.
The Polestar 2 launched in Australia in 2021, ahead of customer deliveries in Q1 2022. Images: Polestar
Polestar is an automaker with one model — the Polestar 2 sedan — in its line up, and is less than five years old as a company. It has also overcome global supply chain shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver on its 2021 targets, achieving 29,000 sales for the calendar year, representing year-on-year growth above 185 percent.
The automaker is admittedly backed by some big players; Chinese conglomerate Geely Holdings and Volvo, and is eyeing an investment deal with Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) Gores Guggenheim Inc. in 2022.
Polestar increased its global presence from 10 to 19 markets in 2021, with growth in Europe and Asia Pacific. In the first half of 2022, Polestar plans to add Spain, Portugal and Ireland to its European market footprint, and enter the Middle East with presence in the UAE, Kuwait and Israel. By the end of 2023, Polestar aims to be operating in at least 30 global markets.
Polestar launched its brand in Australia late in 2021, with media events and customer test drive pop-up locations. Customer deliveries are expected to commence in the first half of 2022, and retail “Spaces” will also be opened in prominent metropolitan areas.
Polestar now has over 100 retail locations globally, and expects to increase that by 50 percent by the end of 2022.
“We are delivering on our targets,” says Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO. “It is a hugely exciting time for the brand, with new markets and models to support the ambitious growth plans we have set for ourselves. Thanks to the relentless dedication of Polestar employees across the globe, we are progressing with confidence towards our proposed public listing.”
Mike Whittington, Polestar’s Head of Sales, adds: “With strong new market launches and the fantastic reception of an expanded Polestar 2 model line-up, we have seen interest in Polestar and vehicle sales increase in all our markets. Our order intake is strong and we are looking forward to further growth in our sales volume again in 2022.”
In 2021, Polestar also announced its plans to launch three new cars in the coming three years. Polestar 3, a premium electric performance SUV, is set to launch in 2022 and will be the first Polestar to be built in the US (in Volvo’s Ridgeville, South Carolina factory). Polestar 3 will benefit from advanced technologies from Luminar (LiDAR), Nvidia (GPUs) and Zenseact (autonomous technology) that will provide cutting-edge unsupervised autonomous driving functionality according to the company.
The Polestar 3 SUV will be revealed in 2022, and should become the brand’s biggest seller.
Polestar highlights climate impact of the Polestar 2 EV, aims for environmental transparency
Polestar publishes the carbon footprint details of its Polestar 2 model range, aiming to lead the industry in transparency and sustainability through Life Cycle Assessments.
The Polestar 2. Images: Polestar
Polestar has just published full details of the carbon footprint of its latest models, in a move to improve transparency around the auto manufacturing process, and drive an industry-wide shift to sustainable mobility.
Tesla leads the automotive world with its Impact Report, published annually to highlight the company’s own sustainable mobility and energy push, and provide data from all aspects of the business including commodities sourcing, materials recycling, greenhouse gas emissions, and company workforce diversity.
Polestar’s Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) consider a range of factors in a car’s life cycle, from supply to manufacture to recycling, and summarise this climate impact in a single number.
Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO, says: “Carmakers need to take full responsibility. Every week, we see a new announcement that an automaker is changing direction towards electrification. But going electric alone is not enough. Making cars electric is not the end game, it is a starting point. We need to be honest and transparent.”
Polestar wants to go further, and urges the industry to adopt greater transparency to rebuild consumer trust. Events like Volkswagen Group’s “Dieselgate” destroyed consumer trust in the group’s brands, and according to Polestar, recent research proves that only one in four consumers trust car manufacturers to be transparent and to operate in the best interests of society, and that over half of consumers demand more transparency and the ability to compare CO2 footprints between cars. Polestar says the adoption of an industry-wide standard could be the key.
The new LCA has found that the new Polestar 2 variants – Long range Single motor and Standard range Single motor – leave the factory with carbon footprints ranging between 24 and 25 tonnes of CO2e, a number that remains flat during the use phase if the car is charged with green energy. The existing Long range Dual motor’s footprint was previously declared to be 26,2 tonnes of CO2e in 2020.
“We are working towards net-zero production emissions, but our LCA shows that Polestar 2 is already a climate solution. EV technology provides a car with less than half the carbon impact of an equivalent petrol car if charged with green energy,” says Fredrika Klarén, Head of Sustainability at Polestar.
While the manufacturing of electric vehicles can result in emissions as high or even higher than internal combustion vehicles, we know that the life cycle emissions of EVs are a small fraction of internal combustion equivalents. The below graph from Polestar, showing the differences in the LCA score from renewable vs. non-renewable energy sources, demonstrate that the clean energy can effectively halve the score of each model.
View the LCA graphs supplied by Polestar below, and view the automaker’s sustainability goals and 2020 review here.
The LCA figures for the Polestar 2 range, with different energy sources.
A LCA comparison of the Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor.
A LCA comparison of the Polestar 2 Standard Range Single Motor.
A LCA comparison of the Polestar 2 Long Range Single Motor.
Polestar Australia confirms Australian management team, ahead of November Polestar 2 launch
Polestar is only 4 months away from the launch of its brand in Australia, and the market introduction of the Polestar 2 sedan. The Swedish electric-only automaker founded by Geely Holding and Volvo Cars has today announced further additions to its senior management team, after recently naming Australian-born Samantha Johnson — formerly of Volvo Cars Australia — as its managing director.
The Polestar 2 sedan. International model shown. Images: Polestar
Polestar is only 4 months away from the launch of its brand in Australia, and the market introduction of the Polestar 2 sedan. The Swedish electric-only automaker founded by Geely Holding and Volvo Cars has today announced further additions to its senior management team, after recently naming Australian-born Samantha Johnson — formerly of Volvo Cars Australia — as its managing director.
The new appointments are as follows:
Jeremy Goh - Head of Commercial. A senior leader of almost two decades in the automotive industry, Jeremy has worked in sales, network, and supply chain management roles in competitive and dynamic markets including China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. Jeremy joins Polestar from Nissan Motor Co. Australia where he was the lead for Residual Value Management & Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles at Nissan, and General Manager, National Sales & Dealer Network Development for Infiniti. Prior to joining the Nissan Alliance, Jeremy held various roles within DaimlerChrysler / Fiat Chrysler Automobiles for 13 years. In his capacity as Head of Commercial Operations for Polestar, Jeremy will oversee sales, customer care, supply chain logistics, service network operations and technical support.
Paul Jowett - Head of Business Development. For the past 18 years, Paul has worked in senior management roles across a number of leading technology brands in Australia including Apple, Samsung, and Vodafone. Paul joins Polestar from Huawei where he was Director of Marketing for the retail team in the consumer electronics division. The Head of Business Development role will encompass Polestar’s operator network, retail, charging solutions, financial services, digital commerce and pricing.
Jonathan Williams – Head of Marketing. Jonathan is a creative marketer with a passion for disruptive technology as his experience can attest. Jonathan spent four years driving growth for PayPal, followed by seven years at Google where he led key product launches for Google Ads, Google Maps and Android Pay. He joins Polestar from tech start-up KLOOK, the most funded travel booking platform in history, where he held the role of Marketing Director – ANZ.
Commenting on the appointments, Ms. Johnson said “I am delighted to announce the Australian management team for Polestar, which brings the right mix of automotive know-how and a progressive, start-up mindset to the brand.
“The team will be instrumental in overseeing the launch of Polestar and the all-electric Polestar 2 to Australian audiences from November 2021, while playing a central role in achieving our ambitious growth plans for 2022.”
Although under the umbrella of conglomerate Geely-Volvo, Polestar is ostensibly a new startup, building its Australian staff, presence, and brand image from scratch. As we mentioned in previous coverage of the brand, Polestar’s vehicles will rely heavily on an online sales platform, complemented by physical showroom locations known as “Spaces”, to be located in heavily-trafficked central business districts. It’s not yet known whether Polestar plans to offer stand-alone service facilities, piggyback off Volvo’s Australian network, or servicing to customers’ homes and workplaces like Tesla.
Featuring a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup with a 78 kWh battery, the Polestar 2 is based on the group’s Compact Modular Architecture platform, which underpins the Volvo XC40 Recharge and C40, as well as a number of Geely and Lynk & Co vehicles. The car has already received many accolades globally, holding the crowns for German Car of the Year 2021 and Top Gear’s Best All-Round EV.
With unique styling, a spacious interior, great performance, and the only fully integrated Android Automotive in-car OS, the Polestar 2 is one of our most anticipated EVs for 2021. We’ll keep you updated on any Polestar news down under as it happens.
Polestar's Australian operations commence as Polestar 2 EV confirmed for November 2021
Polestar Automotive Australia’s managing director Samantha Johnson has confirmed in a pre-launch event that the brand will arrive in Australia from November 2021.
A US-spec Polestar 2. Image: Polestar
Polestar Automotive Australia’s managing director Samantha Johnson has confirmed in a pre-launch event that the brand will arrive in Australia from November 2021.
“We’re delighted to announce that the highly anticipated all-electric Polestar 2 is expected to be launched locally by November 2021,” Johnson said in a note by email.
“Polestar sees considerable potential in the Australian market, which is why it will be one of the first markets to launch as part of the company’s Asia Pacific expansion.”
The Polestar 2 is built in China by parent company Geely, and has met widespread acclaim overseas. Australia will be one of the first markets to receive the car outside the United States and Europe, and with its 78 kWh battery and all-wheel-drive, is expected to be priced similarly to Tesla’s Model 3. The Polestar 2 is a tech-focused sedan and is the first vehicle to be launched with the Android Automotive — as distinct from Android Auto — operating system for seamless in-car Google integration.
The Polestar 2 sits on Geely-Volvo’s Compact Modular Architecture platform, which underpins the Volvo XC40 and C40, as well as a number of Geely and Lynk & Co vehicles. The XC40 is also scheduled to arrive in Australia later this year.
Polestar is independent of Volvo and will therefore create its own facilities, management team, and retail operations in Australia. Vehicles will be available to order online, but Polestar will also build its ‘Polestar Spaces’ in high-traffcked capital city areas. The Spaces aim to take the stress out of the vehicle purchasing experience; and allow customers to get up close with the product in a high-end gallery-like environment.
Polestar Automotive Australia has commenced Australian operations and is on the hunt for more staff
Polestar Automotive Australia has already commenced its search for local team members to fill the positions of planning, order and delivery manager, customer care operations specialist, and community and customer relationship management (CRM) manager. The company hasn’t outlined just where it plans to locate its Spaces and servicing facilities, but we can expect that information closer to local launch.
Source: The Driven
