What do you normally go to a car showroom for? It’s usually to buy a car, but Swedish brand Polestar is looking to change that with its first UK centre where you won’t be sold a car by a salesperson.
Called a ‘Space’, rather than a dealer, the Volvo-owned electric brand has now opened its first centre in the UK at London’s Westfield shopping centre – the largest of its kind in Europe.
While not the first time a car brand has appeared at Westfield – firms such as Tesla, Seat and DS have been here previously – Polestar London is set to become more of a permanent home than a ‘pop-up’ feature like the others. Here, product specialists that aren’t paid on commission will allow those passing by or visiting to explore the cars and even conduct test drives.
Polestar says it doesn’t have any stock held, so customers instead choose the exact spec they want. Those interested in buying a car can configure and entirely buy their car online, though can be guided through the process by a specialist.
Jonathan Goodman, head of Polestar UK, said: “The Polestar Space is our way of changing the face of automotive retail. With no salespeople and no vehicles on the forecourt, there is no hard sell, no requirement to shift stock and an entirely customer-focussed journey.
“Visitors will define how much they interact with the exhibits, and Polestar Specialists will tailor their experience to the customer’s exact needs, not the brand’s. Once they have found the perfect specification, seamless digital interactivity places the vehicle in the customer’s app, ready to be ordered when it suits them. We will put the fun back into buying a car!”
Polestar London is one of 40 ‘Spaces’ set to open globally before the end of the year, with the Westfield showroom opening on Saturday October 31.
Polestar currently sells two cars – the ‘1’ and the ‘2’. The former is a cool limited-run plug-in hybrid sports coupe, which delivers impressive performance and luxury, and has the longest range of any PHEV. Meanwhile the ‘2’ is the brand’s first EV, which aims to rival the Tesla Model 3 with its £49,990 starting price.
