Polestar goes electric

Polestar, Volvo's recently acquired performance division, has announced the appointment of Thomas Ingenlath (pictured) to the role of CEO in the lead-up to the company's reinvention as a Tesla rival. Until the announcement, Ingenlath had been Senior Vice President Design at Volvo.

"Thomas heading up the Polestar organisation shows our commitment to establishing a truly differentiated stand-alone brand within the Volvo Car Group," said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars.

The decision to task Polestar with the development of high-performance 'electrified' models was first reported late last year, when Lex Kerssemakers, CEO of Volvo Cars in North America revealed the plans to the press at the LA motor show. In accordance with the plan, Ingenlath and his also newly-appointed COO, Jonathan Goodman, will oversee Polestar's entry into the small but growing market for high-performance electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, which include – currently – Tesla Model S and BMW i8.

"With 25 years of commercial experience in the automotive industry, Jonathan is ideally placed to provide operational experience alongside Thomas's vision, building on the experienced management team that will drive the Polestar brand forwards," said Samuelsson.

"Polestar will be a credible competitor in the emerging global market for high-performance electrified cars. With Polestar, we are able to offer electrified cars to the world's most demanding, progressive drivers in all market segments."

Goodman was formerly Senior Vice President Corporate Communication at Volvo.

Volvo calls the new Polestar a "separately branded electrified global high-performance car company", a modus operandi that recalls a similar path for Mercedes-AMG. The German company, which previously built the SLS e-Cell, has travelled full circle – acquired by Mercedes-Benz after years as a performance tuning company at large, but now establishing its own autonomy to develop products separate from the broader Mercedes-Benz range.

Polestar had worked alongside Volvo on motor sport projects from 1996, prior to Volvo's acquisition of the company in 2015. Volvo has explicitly stated in its press release announcing the new appointees that Polestar cars will be badged 'Polestar', not 'Volvo'. The company will, however, continue to supply performance 'optimisation packages' for Volvo's own model range.

"I am really excited to take up the challenge of establishing this exciting brand, developing a fabulous portfolio of bespoke products and channelling the passion we have throughout the Polestar team. The next chapter in Polestar's history is just beginning," Ingenlath was quoted saying in the press release.

Volvo will issue further announcements concerning Polestar in the northern hemisphere autumn (our spring).