Polestar Drives Global Expansion: New Markets and Leadership on the Horizon
Polestar is actively expanding its commercial footprint and retail operations throughout existing and new markets, driven by the growth of its model line-up.
The company is broadening its retail presence in partnership with existing and new collaborators, adopting a non-genuine agency sales model throughout Europe. Customers can still personalise and purchase their Polestar online or via the growing network of Polestar Spaces and service locations, simplifying the purchase and ownership process across more regions. Sweden and Norway transitioned to this sales model earlier this month, with other significant markets preparing to join later this year.
Polestar is set to expand into seven new markets by 2025, targeting France—the second-prime market in the EU for electric vehicles after Germany—as well as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Thailand, and Brazil through local distribution partnerships.
Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar, stated, "By expanding our retail operations with both new and current partners, we aim to engage more customers. These expansions and partnerships will leverage our strong brand and an increasingly diverse model range."
To bolster the brand’s profitable growth in established markets, several key management appointments have been made under Kristian Elvefors, Head of Commercial:
Anders Gustafsson is taking over as Head of North America from Gregor Hembrough. Anders brings over a decade of experience from Volvo Cars, where he served as Senior Vice President of Americas & President and CEO of Volvo Cars USA. Gregor, who has spearheaded Polestar’s North American business since its inception in 2018, will now lead Global Sales Operations.
Matt Galvin is the UK Managing Director, succeeding the retiring Jonathan Goodman. Previously the UK Managing Director at NIO, Matt's extensive career spans 22 years in the automotive industry with senior roles at Volvo Cars and Mercedes-Benz.
Marius Hayler takes over in Norway from Alexander Hørthe, who is pursuing opportunities outside Polestar. Marius, former NIO Germany and Norway General Manager will also oversee the Nordic region. His previous positions include Country Director for Jaguar Land Rover Norge, Managing Director of Møller Bil Sweden, and Volvo Car Norge Vice President.
Kristian Elvefors expressed his excitement about the new additions: “I am thrilled to welcome this group of skilled and experienced leaders to the Polestar team. With these appointments, we are enhancing our sales teams and infusing additional expertise at a critical stage of our development as we expand our model range to include two new SUVs.”