GOTHENBURG, Sweden — Polestar’s entry-level model, the 2, competes above the entry-level cars offered by German rivals in terms of pricing and positioning. Thomas Ingenlath, the firm’s CEO, told Autoblog that the idea of expanding the range toward the bottom is attractive but unlikely to happen soon.
For context, the most affordable BMW sold in the United States is the 2 Series Gran Coupe, which carries a base price of $39,395 including a $995 destination charge. The base 2 starts at $51,300 including a $1,400 destination charge. The gap is even wider in Europe, where Germany’s three luxury brands offer smaller and cheaper cars that aren’t available in the United States. Audi has the A1, BMW has the 1 Series, and Mercedes-Benz has the A-Class hatchback. Ingenlath explained Polestar doesn’t need to stretch as far down as its rivals.
“There would be space [for a smaller car]. Having said that, when I see how much [rivals] consider if they should continue [to compete] in these segments I think maybe not to introduce it,” he told me. “I mean, even the 2 for us will be something special to keep because it’s a big stretch. With the 5, the 3, and the 4, it’s quite a stretch to have as well the 2. For us, the 2 is actually doing what an A1 does for Audi. There’s the question of what kind of brand do we aim for,” he told me. “Our brand, it’s just simply that much more on the exclusive corner.”
It sounds like Polestar wants to position itself closer to Porsche, which doesn’t compete in Europe’s small hatchback segment and has no answer to, say, BMW and its 2 Series Gran Coupe. This makes sense: Polestar lives under the same roof as Volvo, which competes more directly against the German mainstream luxury brands. The EX30 starts at $34,950 excluding destination, which hasn’t been published yet.
Beyond the brand image and the need to steer clear of automotive cannibalism, there’s the issue of getting your priorities straight.
“It’s such a joyful thing to design and create something like [an entry-level car]. But, for the moment we are really busy. Bringing out the portfolio, thinking then about how to refresh it and how to keep it alive. We have to be very careful in not getting distracted by going too broad. We have to be successful with every car and every project and concentrate on that,” Ingenlath said.
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- Source: https://www.autoblog.com/2024/03/25/heres-why-the-odds-of-seeing-a-smaller-polestar-model-are-low/
