Polestar expands commercial footprint and retail operations; announces plans to enter seven new markets during 2025

  • New sales model implementation will see retail footprint expand across existing European markets
  • Plans to establish presence in seven additional markets across Asia, Europe and Latin America during 2025
  • Experienced senior leadership added in key markets

 

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN – 17 June 2024. Polestar (Nasdaq: PSNY) is expanding its commercial footprint and retail operations across existing and new markets, as its model line-up continues to grow.

 

The company is widening its retail footprint with existing and new partners, as part of a shift to a non-genuine agency sales model across Europe. Customers will still be able to configure and order their Polestar online, as well as through the expanding network of Polestar Spaces and service locations, making it easier for more customers to buy and own a Polestar. Sweden and Norway switched to a non-genuine agency sales model earlier this month with other key markets set to follow suit in the second half of the year.

 

Polestar is accelerating its geographic expansion and plans to enter seven new markets during 2025. France is the largest volume market for electric cars in the EU after Germany and represents a significant opportunity for the company. In addition, Polestar will look to launch in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Thailand and Brazil via local distribution partnerships

Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO, says: “Expanding our retail operations with new and existing partners will enable us to reach more customers. Through these partnerships and expansion, we will capitalize on our strong brand and growing model line-up.”

To support the brand’s profitable growth in established markets, the following management appointments, reporting to Kristian Elvefors, Head of Commercial, have been made:

 

Anders Gustafsson succeeds Gregor Hembrough as Head of North America. Anders brings a wealth of experience to the role having spent 13 years at Volvo Cars, including six years as Senior Vice President Americas & President and CEO of Volvo Cars USA. Gregor has successfully led Polestar’s North American business since it was established in 2018. He now brings his considerable strategic and operational leadership to the role of Head of Global Sales Operations.

 

Matt Galvin succeeds Jonathan Goodman as UK Managing Director, who is retiring. Matt was previously UK Managing Director at NIO and his 22-year career in the automotive industry includes senior roles in the UK at leading brands including Volvo Cars and Mercedes-Benz.

 

In Norway, Marius Hayler succeeds Alexander Hørthe, who has decided to pursue his career outside of Polestar. Marius joins from NIO where he was General Manager of NIO Germany and Norway. In addition to leading Polestar’s business in Norway, he will also head up the Nordic region. Marius was previously Country Director for Jaguar Land Rover Norge, Managing Director of Møller Bil Sweden and Vice President of Volvo Car Norge.

Kristian Elvefors, Polestar Head of Commercial, says: “I am delighted to welcome this group of talented and experienced leaders to the Polestar team. Through these appointments, we are strengthening our sales teams and bringing in additional expertise at a pivotal point in our development, as our model line-up expands to include two new SUVs.”

Ends.

 

Contacts

 

Bojana Flint

Head of IR

Bojana.flint@polestar.com

 

Theo Kjellberg

Head of Corporate Communication

theo.kjellberg@polestar.com

Evi Boits

Communications Manager, oona agency

 

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About Polestar

Polestar (Nasdaq: PSNY) is the Swedish electric performance car brand with a focus on uncompromised design and innovation, and the ambition to accelerate the change towards a sustainable future. Headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, its cars are available in 27 markets globally across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. 

Polestar has three models in its line-up: Polestar 2, Polestar 3, and Polestar 4. Planned models include the Polestar 5 four-door GT (to be introduced in 2025), the Polestar 6 roadster and the Polestar 7 compact SUV. With its vehicles currently manufactured on two continents, North America and Asia, Polestar plans to diversify its manufacturing footprint further, with production of Polestar 7 planned in Europe.

Polestar has an unwavering commitment to sustainability and has set an ambitious roadmap to reach its climate targets: halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 per-vehicle-sold and become climate-neutral across its value chain by 2040. Polestar’s comprehensive sustainability strategy covers the four areas of Climate, Transparency, Circularity, and Inclusion. 

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release (“Press Release”) may be considered “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or the future financial or operating performance of Polestar. For example, projections of revenue, volumes and other financial or operating metrics are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may”, “should”, “expect”, “intend”, “will”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “predict”, “potential”, “forecast”, “plan”, “seek”, “future”, “propose” or “continue”, or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Polestar and its management, as the case may be, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: (1) Polestar’s ability to maintain agreements or partnerships with its strategic partners, such as Volvo Cars, Geely or Xingji Meizu Group, and to develop new agreements or partnerships; (2) Polestar’s ability to maintain relationships with its existing suppliers, and source new suppliers for its critical components, and to complete building out its supply chain, while effectively managing the risks due to such relationships; (3) Polestar’s reliance on its partnerships with vehicle charging networks to provide charging solutions for its vehicles and its reliance on strategic partners for servicing its vehicles and their integrated software; (4) Polestar’s reliance on its partners, some of which may have limited experience with electric vehicles, to manufacture vehicles at a high volume or develop devices, products, apps or operating systems for Polestar, and on the allocation of sufficient production capacity or resources to Polestar by its partners in order for Polestar to be able to increase its vehicle production capacities and product offerings; (5) competition, the ability of Polestar to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain its management and key employees; (6) Polestar’s estimates of expenses and profitability; (7) increases in costs, disruption of supply or shortage of materials, in particular for lithium-ion cells or semiconductors; (8) the possibility that Polestar may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; (9) the effects of competition and the high barriers to entry in the automotive industry, and the pace and depth of electric vehicle adoption generally on Polestar’s future business; (10) changes in regulatory requirements, governmental incentives and fuel and energy prices; (11) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Polestar or others; (12) the ability to meet stock exchange listing standards; (13) risks associated with changes in applicable laws or regulations and with Polestar’s international operations; (14) Polestar’s ability to establish its brand and capture additional market share, and the risks associated with negative press or reputational harm, including from lithium-ion battery cells catching fire or venting smoke; (15) delays in the design, development, manufacture, launch and financing of Polestar’s vehicles and other product offerings, and Polestar’s reliance on a limited number of vehicle models to generate revenues; (16) Polestar’s ability to continuously and rapidly innovate, develop and market new products; (17) risks related to future market adoption of Polestar’s offerings; (18) risks related to Polestar’s distribution model; (19) the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, interest rate changes, the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, supply chain disruptions and logistical constraints on Polestar, Polestar’s projected results of operations, financial performance or other financial and operational metrics, or on any of the foregoing risks; and (20) other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in Polestar’s Form 20-F, and other documents filed, or to be filed, with the SEC by Polestar. There may be additional risks that Polestar presently does not know or that Polestar currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.

Nothing in this Press Release should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Polestar assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.