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News - Polestar - 3Polestar readies dealership sales with VolvoElectric vehicle brand says tripling of line-up requires rethink of how cars are sold23 Sep 2024 By MATT BROGAN POLESTAR is about to undergo its most significant period of change in Australia since the Sino-Swedish electric vehicle importer launched here in January 2022.
Between now and the end of the year, Polestar will triple its model line-up, while also moving to offer a new sales presence within selected metropolitan Volvo dealerships.
Speaking with GoAuto at the local launch of the Polestar 3 in Tasmania last week, Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard said an expected change in customer demographics was largely behind the move to a traditional sales scape.
“It’s a remarkable period for Polestar at the moment, and a period of great change,” he said.
“Obviously we have moved from selling one car, in the Polestar 2 – which has been super successful for us for some time now – to tripling the portfolio by the end of the year.
“So, there is a lot to grapple with as we move into that new product line-up and start catering for all-new audiences with these vehicles.”
As well as the introduction of the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 this year, the brand will introduce its Polestar 5 to rival the Porsche Taycan in 2025.
The new model influx will occur as the brand shifts from an agency-style and online sales model with selected retail presences to a traditional bricks-and-mortar structure, aligned with select Volvo dealerships nationally.
“There are also some changes coming from our new global retail strategy. We’re moving away, globally, from OEM-owned space environments that display the vehicle in more retail-centric environments, which is important for how the brand is presented,” he said.
“It’s important not only for the way the product is showcased to the market, but to make it more accessible to everyone. We’ll start with a presence in just the capital cities, a relatively light touch, offering a place that customers can go and experience the vehicle.
“The model we’re shifting to allows you to complete a transaction in those spaces, so you can see the process right through to the point where you place an order.”
While the sales presence will not be as extensive as the entirety of the Volvo franchise in Australia, it will allow Polestar to build upon certain synergies Mr Maynard said “make sense”.
“Importantly, it allows us to open more centres in more spaces much quicker,” he added.
“The retailers we’re in discussion with have the property, have made the investment, and have the staff that are trained and very good at doing this type of thing. It allows us to stand a network up much more quickly than if we had slowly and incrementally evolved (on our own) and allows us to jump ahead.
“The partners we have talked to are predominantly Volvo retailers, because it just makes sense. We have a valuable connection to Volvo – they provide our service backing and pre-delivery – so it made sense to offer them the front-end of the business as well.”
Mr Maynard suggested that only a handful of Polestar dealerships will be offered initially, allowing family buyers the opportunity to discover and test drive models in a familiar forecourt environment.
“It won’t be every Volvo site … but it will be sufficient to get the product in front of more people who see the value in the brand and who love the product,” he reiterated.
“Now they’re able to go and sit in one, and test drive a car more easily. This (alliance) makes it much more accessible.”
The Polestar 3 goes on sale locally from this month, with the Polestar 4 arriving in November.
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