Don't expect long waiting lists or limited supply of Polestar's incoming heavily updated Tesla Model 3 rival, with initial delivery times set at “six to eight weeks".
When asked if Polestar expected to hit production bottlenecks as it did when the original version of the car arrived 18 months ago, Matt McCroarey, the brand’s Technical and Customer Service Development Manager explained: “Not at this stage.”
“We seem to have healthy supply and adequate planning in place for where our customer base is going,” he said, explaining wait times wouldn’t be extended.
“There are some shipping constraints still, congestion, but that is clearing up.”
To bridge the gap, there are a handful of MY23 pre-update cars still in the country. “Restricted stock of MY23 is still around,” said Polestar Australia's Managing Director, Samantha Johnson.
“There are different price ranges there, but it’s not going to be long before it runs out,” she explained, confirming there would be no more shipments of fresh pre-update cars into the country.
Over 150,000 Polestar 2s have been manufactured since its launch in 2020, and while the manufacturer has a small footprint in Australia, it has managed to double its footprint since last year, outselling Peugeot and Genesis with just one model on sale thus far.
The EV brand is expecting incremental growth from the addition of the Polestar 3 large SUV in quarter two next year, and the Polestar 4 mid-sizer before the end of 2024. The Polestar 4 is expected to be a volume seller, with keen pricing between the circa-$70,000 pricing of the new Polestar 2 and the $130,000 pricing of the Polestar 3.
However, the local MD wouldn’t be drawn on the sales numbers it was targeting once its range is fleshed out, nor what competitors it might want to be ahead of, with Johnson simply saying “growth will be quite strong for us".
Polestar faces more competition in Australia, with a more affordable Tesla Model 3 (currently from $57,400) and the Cupra Born from $69,990 playing in a similar space to the updated, and more expensive Polestar 2, which now starts from $67,400 before on-road costs or state-specific electric vehicle discounts. Soon, it will also compete with the long-awaited Volkswagen ID.3 hatch and ID.4 SUV.
But Johnson said the increased pricing for the 2024 Polestar 2 reflected increased value, and that while it expects volume to increase, the brand is not chasing EV rivals like Tesla or Volkswagen Group.
“We’re not trying to catch up to Tesla, we’re on a different path to other brands, we’re very much moving into the luxury space. Prices have increased to reflect the great value that you have in the model year 24 Polestar 2.
“We have no intention of following other brands by lowering prices or entering into price wars. So we’re sticking to our path. We’re not chasing volume, we’re chasing sustainable growth.”
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