Ingenlath has a big job ahead of him. Taking market share in today's highly competitive automotive market isn't easy. Taking it from major players in the EV arena like Tesla could prove even harder. Polestar is planning to do something distinctly different, something we got an idea of last month with the launch of the updated 2 sedan.
In a recent interview with Autonews Europe, Ingenlath laid out exactly why Polestar isn't chasing Tesla, how it's differentiating itself to customers, and what the future holds.
Specifically, when it comes to a price war with other automakers, including Tesla, he's sticking to his guns: “We have very clearly stated we will not get into a price war to achieve volume targets because we want to maintain our premium position. We are definitely not running after Tesla, which wants to have X factories and volumes in the millions.”
Specifically, when it comes to a price war with other automakers, including Tesla, he's sticking to his guns: "We have been very clear that we are not going to get into a price war to reach volume targets, because we want to maintain our premium position. We are definitely not going after Tesla, which wants to have X factories and volumes in the millions."
Instead, Ingenlath believes it's important for Polestar to be a company rooted in high quality rather than low price. "We want the Polestar 3, 4 and 5 to firmly secure our place in the premium luxury segment, rather than producing smaller, cheaper cars," he explains.
To emphasize the point, he highlighted how Polestar updated the 2: “We made it better and a bit more expensive. We could have done the exact the opposite, taking value out by giving it a cheaper battery, a cheaper electric drivetrain and use cheaper materials and kept the same price. Or we could have followed Tesla and only offer one screen and save big bucks because that monitor in front of the driver is expensive. But we didn’t.”
To emphasize the point, he highlighted how Polestar updated the 2: "We made it better and a bit more expensive. We could have done the exact opposite and taken the value out by giving it a cheaper battery, a cheaper electric drivetrain and using cheaper materials and kept the same price. Or we could have followed Tesla and had just one screen and saved a lot of money because that screen in front of the driver is expensive. But we didn't."
This attitude is one that he hopes will demonstrate the love of design and technology and the passion that Polestar has for the product. He believes it will translate to the customer and ultimately lead to more sales. Only time will tell if this plan will prove successful, but what is undoubtedly coming down the pipeline is something he has dubbed "Polestar Day" later this year.
Source: Autonews Europe
