Polestar boss slams disposable cars

Polestar has criticised the automotive industry's growing focus on cheap, rapidly developed vehicles, warning manufacturers are sacrificing quality and longevity in pursuit of affordability and faster model cycles.

The comments come amid an intensifying price war in Australia's new-car market, with Chinese manufacturers introducing increasingly affordable vehicles, including the new BYD Atto 1, priced from $19,990 drive-away.

Speaking at the Australian launch of the Polestar 5, managing director Scott Maynard questioned whether the industry's focus on affordability and rapid model development was coming at the expense of quality and longevity.

"I push back against the notion that what we should be doing is building cars that don't have to look good for very long, don't even have to last for a particularly long time, and that can be readily changed over cheaply," he told carsales.

"That's not what we should be heading towards."

The comments are particularly interesting given Polestar is owned by Chinese automotive giant Geely, whose namesake brand competes on affordability, offering the fully electric EX5 medium SUV from $41,990 before on-road costs, some $4000 less than the entry-level Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

While Geely has built its Australian offering around affordability and value, Polestar has positioned itself as a premium, sustainability-focused EV manufacturer, despite both brands benefiting from the same broader automotive group.

Asked whether there was a contradiction between Polestar's sustainability messaging and its association with brands focused on affordability and volume, Maynard insisted Polestar operated independently.

"I think that it's pleasing at least that the investment that Geely's making into Polestar comes with no strings attached," he said.

Maynard said some manufacturers could now take a vehicle from design to production in as little as 12 months, compared with the six years spent developing the Polestar 5.

"There are brands out there that can turn a design around in a matter of months and put that car into production within 12 months," he said.

His comments follow a recent carsales investigation into so-called 'China Speed', which revealed some Chinese manufacturers can progress from an initial concept to design sign-off in just 12 to 18 months, compared with four to five years for established car-makers.

"We're not building cars that are designed to be turned over every two years."

He argued Polestar's approach extended beyond styling, pointing to the Polestar 5's aluminium construction, bespoke drivetrain components and interior materials as examples of engineering intended to last decades.

"This is something that less and less brands are doing, to my utter frustration," he said.

Maynard also questioned the industry's growing reliance on specifications to sell vehicles, arguing differences in underlying build quality and long-term serviceability were often overlooked.

"If you simply compared two spec sheets, you would consider that there is no discernible difference between the cars," he said.

Maynard affirmed the Polestar 5 was designed to remain both aesthetically relevant and mechanically functional for two decades, despite the rapid pace of change in the EV market.

Asked whether a Polestar 5 could still be on Australian roads in 2046, he was unequivocal.

"Yeah, I do."

And when pressed on whether it would still be fully operational, he replied: "Yep."

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