Polestar Cars Australia will kick off the new year with several new ‘Spaces’ in tandem with numerous dealer partners, the Chinese-owned Swedish electric vehicle brand’s local boss has confirmed.
Speaking with media at the local launch of the new Polestar 4 mid-sized SUV, managing director Scott Maynard said the EV specialist will open seven new sites around the country in collaboration with five different retail partners.
“The way the Polestar brand is sold globally is now switching to a more active selling model, and that’s being interpreted in all markets across the world,” Mr Maynard said.
“We now have settled on our direction for representation of the Polestar brand here, and that sees us appointing retail partners across Australia.”
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“These are existing and experienced retail partners that know premium, that get our brand, that we’re just on the cusp of appointing. We’ve now started to get some of those contractual pieces done and out of the way,” Mr Maynard continued.
“I’d like to get them all done before we officially say who they all are, but [they’re] falling in line very nicely and that will see us represented by experienced investing retailers across more spots in Australia, and make our range that little bit more accessible.”
“It also gives us that depth of experience and network they draw on as well, and a real opportunity as we launch into 2025. That will be all up and running on January 1.”
While Mr Maynard stopped short of confirming further details, the news means Polestar will effectively double its current dealer presence, given it now has seven sites across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Hobart and Perth.
The retail expansion coincides with the tripling of Polestar’s range in Australia, with the Polestar 3 large SUV and the smaller Polestar 4 joining the existing Polestar 2 fastback in local showrooms in 2024.
While Polestar sales volumes in Australia are down 21.63 per cent in 2024 (as of October 31) according to figures supplied by the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC), initial shipments of the Polestar 3 and 4 boosted the brand by 66.67 per cent last month (130 units).
That still pales in comparison to Tesla, which did more than 10 times Polestar’s volume in October (1464 units), but Polestar hopes to turn its fortunes around in 2025 with its new models hitting customer driveways.
More models are coming, too. Mr Maynard told CarExpert the new Polestar 5 flagship is expected to open for orders in the back end of next year, with first deliveries commencing either very late in 2025 or early in 2026 pending commencement of production for the Australian market.
The 5 is Polestar’s new high-performance electric sedan inspired by the Precept concept, set to take on the likes of the Porsche Taycan and Lotus Eletre. Preliminary specifications indicate the hero model will boast a 650kW/900Nm dual-motor drivetrain and a bonded aluminium chassis that’s claimed to offer “class-leading dynamics, rigidity and safety features”.
After the 5, the Polestar 6 electric convertible is due to commence production in 2026, packing the same 800V electrical architecture and 650kW dual-motor drivetrain as the Polestar 5 but in a more compact coupe-cabriolet body with a folding metal roof – basically a production version of the 2022 Polestar O2 concept.
Stay tuned for our launch review of the Polestar 4 at 5:00pm AEDT on November 20.
MORE: Everything Polestar 4
https://thewest.com.au/lifestyle/motoring/polestar-doubling-australian-dealer-network-in-2025-c-16785889
