Polestar EVs to sell online in Oz

When Volvo's EV brand Polestar launches Down Under in the second half of 2020, it will take a few strategic cues from American trailblazer Tesla.

The Polestar 2 will be the first vehicle from the Swedish EV brand offered in Australia, expected to arrive within the second half of next year, possibly as early as August 2020.

Powered by a 78kWh lithium-ion battery driving a pair of electric motors that generate an AMG A45-rivalling 300kW and 660Nm – and a sub 5-second 0-100km/h sprint to match – the Polestar 2 slots into the cross-over category.

A high-rise hatch of sorts, the Polestar 2 has a (WLTP) cruising range of 500km.

Production starts in China in early 2020 and according to sources close to the project, the Polestar 2 and its follow-up, the Polestar 3 SUV coupe arriving 12-months later, won't take pride of place inside Volvo showrooms.

In fact, our source claims the OEM importer will sell the high-tech EV vehicles directly online.

Vehicle delivery and servicing would occur via Volvo "back ends", said the source.

As details firm up on Polestar's Tesla-like sales strategy, this suggests perhaps one major Volvo dealership per capital city would operate as the Polestar middleman, so to speak.

Volvo has long talked about offering a subscription service for its vehicles, not unlike a smartphone plan, where monthly payments would cover all fuel/energy costs, servicing, insurance and so forth, taking some of the unknowns out of EV ownership – such as depreciation and running costs.

As it stands however, it is not clear whether the Polestar 2 will be offered as part of a subscription service.

EVs in Australia account for less than 1 per cent of national sales annually, but Polestar is confident there are customers keen to jump into a high-tech Swedish EV packed with massive touch-screens, autonomous driving aids, vegan-friendly upholstery and even multiple high-performance options.

Check out our previous Polestar 2 story for all the bits, bobs and options available.

In an interview with Polestar's chief operating officer Jonathan Goodman earlier in the year, the EV start-up's boss said the new EV could sell up to 1000 units per annum in Oz.

"Australia is very much an interesting market for us to look at and an attractive market," he said.

With Polestar sales 'spaces' to be very different to traditional new car dealerships, with product experts replacing salespeople hunting for commissions, the brand is planning to implement a number of new processes designed to appeal to changing customer desires and demographics.

"We want to take two of the hassle pinch points out of the car buying process," said Goodman.

These practices are also being looked at very closely by other car brands and the wider new car in general, but whether or not the new sales strategy works effectively is yet to be seen.