Premium electric vehicle brand and Volvo subsidiary Polestar is launching its very first “space” in Australia.
What is a Polestar space, I hear you ask? Well, it’s basically an experience store. Think the Apple Store, a car showroom or a display suite for an apartment. It’s basically the same thing, except it has the Polestar 2 in the centre and the entire store is designed to match the car.
“Our Space concept has been carefully designed to reflect the brand’s minimalist brand philosophy while presenting a welcoming environment in which customers can experience the all-electric Polestar 2 at leisure,” said Samantha Johnson, the head of Polestar Australia.
In this space, customers will be able to walk around the Polestar 2, talk to specialists and test drive the car. “Salespeople” aren’t included in the space and the specialists on staff will be available to answer questions, but they won’t try and pressure a customer into a sale. Polestar mostly relies on online purchases, so the idea is probably just to let you come and experience the car.
Other countries have Polestar spaces and the store concept has won awards, but this is the first time it’s setting up a permanent storefront in Australia, aside from popups that you may have seen in shopping centres.
It’s a comfort-focused space for prospective EV enthusiasts, pretty obviously designed to give off the same impression as, said earlier, an Apple Store.
The space is located at Chadstone Shopping Centre, on the lower ground level, and will be open from 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Wednesday, 9am to 9pm Thursday to Saturday, and 10am to 7pm on Sunday.
It’s set to open “in the coming months”.
“We look forward to engaging with visitors to our new Space this summer,” added Johnson.
I recommend that anyone who’s considering a Tesla Model 3 alternative, or an electric vehicle to begin with, consider the Polestar 2. It’s a very well-rounded car and is, in my opinion, the most beautiful EV on the market in Australia at the time of writing.
In our review, the only real problem we had with the car was that it had slightly shorter range than the Tesla Model 3, but this is something I don’t particular worry about anymore. The cheapest model starts at $58,091 (before extra costs) and has 478km WLTP range.