Volvo's EV Brand Polestar Opens a New Retail Showroom on the Scenic Pacific Coast Highway in California

author: FutureCar Staff    

EV brand Polestar does not have a traditional network of dealerships, so the Polestar Spaces serve as retail showrooms.

Electric performance brand Polestar, which is jointly operated by Sweden's Volvo Cars and Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding ("Geely"), today announced the opening of its newest retail showroom in the U.S. on California's famed Pacific Coast Highway.

The newly opened showroom, which are called "Polestar Spaces", is located in Laguna Beach, California. It will offer sales, service, and test drives of the Polestar 2 electric performance fastback, which is the company's first mass market EV model. 

The prime location in Laguna Beach will reach customers living throughout Orange County, a key national market for electric cars and the second-largest EV market in California. The state also has the highest number of EV sales in the U.S.

"There is nowhere better in Orange County for us than Laguna Beach," said Gregor Hembrough, Head of Polestar North America. "Being next to the Laguna Beach Art Museum and steps from the beach itself puts Polestar South Coast front and center, on the Pacific Coast Highway, in the vibrant heart of Orange County."

Polestar's new South Coast location will give customers the opportunity to experience Polestar vehicles first-hand and ask questions in a non-traditional and low pressure environment without salespeople. Test drives of the Polestar 2 can also be coordinated at the location.

All of the Polestar Spaces feature a minimalistic look to promote a calm and thoughtful atmosphere. Customers are encouraged to explore at their own pace but have expert assistance available if needed. Customers can even configure their Polestar EV on an interactive screen. 

Polestar was established in 2017 as a standalone Swedish premium electric vehicle manufacturer. The company is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. 

Polestar is following electric automaker Tesla's business model of not having a network of traditional dealerships to sell its vehicles. The Polestar Spaces offer customers an opportunity to learn more about the Polestar brand and check out the Polestar 2 EV up close and in-person.

The Polestar 2 is currently available in markets across Europe, North America, China and Asia Pacific. By 2023, the company plans to be present in 30 global markets with the opening of additional Polestar Spaces around the world.

The Polestar 2 is offered in three variants with a combination of long- and standard range batteries as large as 78 kWh. It comes with a dual or single-motor powertrain.

The Polestar 2 is alos recognized as the world's first vehicle to come with Google's Android Automotive OS built in. Android Automotive OS is an embedded version of Android that Google developed specifically for automakers to add to their models during assembly. 

Polestar drivers can use all of their favorite Google and Android apps right from the vehicle's infotainment screen without having to sync a smartphone. The Polestar 2 comes with Google Maps for navigation, along with a suite of available third-party apps that owners can download to the vehicle. 

In December, Polestar released a full-scale Vivaldi web browser for the Polestar 2. The Vivaldi browser runs on Android Automotive OS. Drivers and passengers will have access to the same powerful web browser features as the desktop and mobile versions right from the vehicle's infotainment screen. 

Also in December, Polestar unveiled a camouflaged look at its second consumer EV named the "Polestar 3" SUV at a media event in New York. Polestar CEO, Thomas Ingenlath, hosted the event for investors and press to share the company's future vision and growth plans. 

The Polestar 3 will be a sleek electric-performance SUV that will compete with the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and other similar electric crossovers. The full reveal is expected soon and the vehicle will debut later this year.

The Polestar 3 will also be the first Polestar vehicle built in the U.S., with production set to take place at Volvo's auto factory in Charleston, South Carolina. All of the Polestar 3 vehicles built in South Carolina will be sold in the U.S., the company said.

In order to lure customers to Polestar's new retail space in Southern California, the company's Precept sedan concept will be on display at the Laguna Beach Polestar Space through February.

The Precept concept was created in 2020 to showcase three key areas for the Polestar brand, which include sustainability, digital technology and cutting edge design. 

When the Precept concept was unveiled, Polestar called it a "commitment car" rather than a concept car. The futuristic battery-powered sedan offers a glimpse of the type of vehicles Polestar plans to offer in the future. 

The production version of the Precept is expected to launch in 2024.

The Polestar Precept.

California-based EV startup Lucid Group, which is a rival of Polestar, is also building a network of retail spaces in the U.S. to market its vehicles. The locations are called "Lucid Studios" and the newest one just opened last week in Southern California in the city of Newport Beach.

The Newport Beach location further expands Lucid's presence in Southern California and throughout the country. Like Polestar, the Lucid Studios will support the Lucid Group's "direct to customer" sales strategy.

In Sept 2021, Polestar, announced an agreement to merge with special purpose acquisition company ("SPAC") Gores Guggenheim, Inc. to launch an IPO and raise capital on Wall Street. Upon closing of the proposed business combination, the combined new company will be named "Polestar Automotive Holding UK Limited."

Polestar plans to list on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol "PSNY".

FutureCar Staff