With assembly of the first pre-production prototypes underway in Sweden, Polestar is now focusing on opening its network of showrooms. And the first of the so-called Polestar Spaces will open in a location that may seem an odd choice, but makes perfect sense once you examine the reasons behind the decision.
The first Polestar Space will be located in Norway, and more specifically on Øvre Slottsgate in downtown Oslo. That’s not far away from parent-company Volvo’s home base in Gothenburg, Sweden, but they’ve chosen Norway for another reason.
That’s because the country is “one of the world’s most important electric vehicle markets”. Norway has some of the highest gasoline pump prices in the world. At $7.66, gasoline is nearly two and a half times as expensive in Norway as it is in the United States. That’s lead the country to prioritize electric mobility, on which Polestar is keen to capitalize with its first retail shop.
“Polestar will redefine the vehicle ownership experience and the relationship customers have with their car manufacturer,” said Polestar chief Thomas Ingenlath. “Polestar Spaces are an important part of our customer experience, and where we will physically meet our customers. As Norway is one of the world’s most important electric vehicle markets, it is logical to begin the Polestar Space story in Oslo.”
These locations will not, however, be traditional dealers. With the buying experience capable of being performed entirely online, the Polestar Spaces will instead offer a place at which customers will be able to interact with the brand, see the vehicles up close, and select the options they want – if they so chose. “Polestar Spaces will be staffed by non-commissioned product experts,” asserts the automaker, “rather than hard-selling sales executives.”
Within the next two years, the company is slated to open about 60 of them around the world, including in the United States.
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