Volvo-owned electric car brand Polestar has announced that Westfield London, Europe’s largest shopping centre, will be the location for its first UK “Space” showroom.
Polestar, the Sino-Swedish automotive brand jointly owned by Volvo Car Group and its parent company, Chinese automotive company Geely, disdains “conventional showrooms” for its vehicles and instead prefers what it calls “Polestar Spaces.”
These showrooms are “carefully designed, unique retail environments” where customers can “Get to know our cars at your own pace, right in the middle of town. No salespeople. No pressure.”
The company already boasts “Spaces” throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States, and will now be able to also call the UK home.
Westfield London, also known as Westfield White City or Westfield Shepherds Bush – because everyone knows any Westfield shopping centre needs multiple name variations – will be the first UK Polestar Space.
Situated in the heart of London, in Shepherd’s Bush, and set to open to the public in October, the Westfield Space will showcase the brand’s Polestar 1 electric performance hybrid GT and the Polestar 2 fully-electric performance fastback.
Polestar will work with UK automotive showroom franchisee Endeavour Automotive to mirror key attributes of Polestar’s other European Spaces, bringing with it the company’s desired “unique retail proposition within the sector combines innovative design, technology, location and a seamless digital-first retail model.”
Minimalist in design and integrating digital interactivity, Polestar’s Spaces seek to allow customers to get up close and personal with their vehicles without the traditional pressure of a salesperson breathing down their neck.
“It’s great to finally be able to announce our partnership with Polestar and the location of the brand’s first Space in the country’s capital,” said John Caney, Chief Executive of Endeavour Automotive.
“The Polestar journey in the UK is tremendously exciting, and we’re proud to be part of it. As recent reviews of the Polestar 2 show, there is a high demand for the product and huge interest in the brand, so opening the Westfield Space couldn’t have come at a better time.”
“It was obvious that our first Space in the UK had to be in the country’s capital, and the high-footfall and high-quality location of Westfield London was an easy choice for us,” said Polestar COO, Jonathan Goodman.
“With the first customer Polestar 2 cars soon to land in the country, the next step in the journey is to open our first retail space and continue to engage with our growing customer base.”
Polestar announced back in December that the Polestar 2 EV prototype had begun production in China in line with the company’s planned launch and European delivery in the Northern Hemisphere Summer of 2020, followed by China and North America.
Unsurprisingly, though, significant challenges reared their head in the form of a global pandemic, and in March, the company announced that production of the Polestar 2 had “officially begun in Luqiao, China.”
“The world is facing enormous upheaval in the face of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Polestar CEO, Thomas Ingenlath, speaking in March.
“We start production now under these challenging circumstances, with a strong focus on the health and safety of our people. This is a great achievement and the result of huge efforts from the staff in the factory and the team securing the supply chain. I have a huge amount of respect for the entire team – thanks to them!”
Boasting fully electric performance with 408hp, or 300kW, all-wheel drive and a 78kWh battery pack enabling a range of 470km (292 miles), the Polestar 2 also claims to be the world’s first car to feature a built-in infotainment system powered by Android, featuring Google Assistant, Google Maps and the Google Play Store.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.