Ingenlath wants Polestar to be as highly regarded for its technology as it is for its commitment to vehicle manufacturing.
“We combined the traditional craftsmanship of building cars, with having Google as our partner for developing the infotainment system and to offering over-the-air updates,” he told reporters via a video conference at the Polestar 2’s Munich media launch last month. “That combination is very intriguing.”
The Polestar 2 is the first model in the Volvo family to get Google’s Android operating system, and the partners are already working on a next-generation system, the automaker said in February.
The initial response to the car has been so strong that Polestar’s national sales teams in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway have nearly sold out their allotments for 2020, a spokesman said.
Polestar Germany Managing Director Alexander Lutz has already asked for more cars. “We expect the supply to not be sufficient for the demand,” he told ANE in a separate video call.
In Germany, the Polestar 2 is benefiting from government and manufacturer incentives that reduce its starting price to 48,540 euros ($57,250) from about 56,000 euros.
The car’s other European markets are Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. It is also available in the U.S., Canada and China.
Ingenlath said that Polestar, which is mulling an initial public offering, will continue to strive to blur the line between the old and new automotive worlds by remaining open to new ideas from new collaborators.
“That to me is the essence of Polestar,” he said, “to not have any borders or prejudices about what it takes to make this insanely great product.”