The First 'Polestar Spaces' in the U.S. Are Opening in California & New York City

author: Manish Kharinta   

The Polestar 2 electric fastback.

Volvo's performance electric brand Polestar has been making more headlines recently. The electric vehicle manufacturer demonstrated its safety prowess with the brand's Polestar 2 and now the automaker has announced that the first of its physical retail stores will be coming to the U.S. in New York City and California.

As expected, California will be getting the most number of Polestar Spaces in the country with two locations scheduled to be set up in the San Francisco Bay Area and one in Los Angeles. 

The Polestar Spaces are a zero-pressure environment that allows prospective customers to see the cars up close and learn about their features. The sales model is similar to Tesla's boutique stores that pop up in trendy neighborhoods, rather than using traditional car showrooms, dealerships and commissioned salespeople.

Consumers will also be able to research, configure, and purchase the Polestar vehicles online at any time.

Deliveries in the American market for the Polestar 2 EV are expected to begin sometime this summer, but that depends on how the auto industry bounces back from the coronavirus pandemic.

Polestar has partnered with its current retail group, which includes luxury auto retailers Galpin Motors, Manhattan Motorcars, and Price-Simms Automotive Group to launch the first Spaces.

"We have been able to partner with retailers that embrace Polestar's innovative retail and service models. This will of course be a major benefit to our customers," said Gregor Hembrough, Head of Polestar USA. "With more than 80 percent of Polestar 2 reservation holders residing within a 150-mile range of the Spaces scheduled to open by mid 2021, customers will be well supported throughout their relationship with Polestar."

The first half of 2021 will mark the beginning of the second phase of retail expansion, in which Polestar will work with additional retailers to set up physical stores in locations such as Boston, Washington DC, Florida, Denver and Texas. 

We expect that the expansion of Polestar Spaces will depend on the brand's popularity and sales numbers. However Polestar has emphasized that it will be selling its offerings in all 50 states.

In the official press release, the company has also confirmed that by the middle of next year almost 80% of all buyers with Polestar 2 reservations will live within a 150-mile range of these spaces. This means that the majority of demand for the carmaker's offering comes from less than 10 states. 

For customers residing outside these selected cities, additional service and delivery charges may be applied to their orders.

Supporting the company's online retail model, the Polestar Spaces will have non-commissioned specialists with the sole objective to offer customers information on the company's products which will include options like material selection. The spaces will also facilitate test drives for the company's lineup. 

For now, Polestar's electric vehicle portfolio comprises the Polestar 2, the company's battery-only performance fastback and the Polestar 1 hybrid GT supercar.

The Polestar 2 will be offered with a 292-mile WLTP range 78 kWh battery pack. The company claims it only takes the Polestar 2 4.7 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 62 mph thanks to the 408 horsepower fully-electric powertrain, which comes mated to a dual-motor all-wheel-drive layout.

The Polestar 2 performance electric EV will debut as a 2021 model with an MSRP of $61,200.

Manish Kharinta

Manish Kharinta is a automotive writer based in the Los Angeles area. He has worked for automotive industry websites TheSmokingClutch.com, CarDekho.com and CarBikeindia.com. His experience ranges from covering auto shows, to car reviews and breaking automotive news. Manish aims to bring forth his unique perspective on automotive design and technological innovations in the automotive industry.