Battery-dedicated crossover is going to be a core performer – and it won’t be hampered by Polestar’s equivalent.

WHEN asked to distinguish the differences between his brand and Volvo, Polestar’s chief executive Thomas Ingenlath offered “a guitar is a guitar, but two musicians can create completely different music with the same instrument.”

Focus on differences rather than similarities between the almost-twinned marques is a mindset held by the man heading Volvo Cars New Zealand.

In respect to Polestar product basing off Volvo technology? Nothing unusual about that, VCNZ general manager Ben Montgomery contends. Sharing is a way of life for many of the world’s car makers these days.

“It's very hard for us not to be mentioned together due to the shared technology behind the scenes,” he says when discussing the Volvo/Polestar synergy.

“But I look at a lot of our competitors and I see exactly the same … BMW and Mini have some shared technology, Jaguar Land Rover now takes some engines from BMW. It's a bit of a way of the world.”

Also, for all the implied sameness, there’s clear difference. Both play in the luxury arena, yes, but Volvo’s expression as premium Scandinavian luxury charts its own course. Historically, there’s the strong bent on safety. Plus another factor. “We are the original. We’re the brand that has the longest history and is well established in this market.”

Remember that when considering the C40 Recharge, here at last after being delayed by … well, all the usual, invariably Covid-related things.

Ostensibly a coupe-ified version of the make’s first electric car here, the XC40 Recharge, it is actually something more in that. Whereas the XC40 sports utility has a combustion engine past (it started out solely with one, and continues as a plug-in hybrid) the C40’s story is utterly unblackened by Big Oil association, being a pure electric project, the first Volvo to hold that status. The first of more to come from a brand that’s aiming for half of sales to be battery electric by 2025 and only offering fully electric cars by 2030. 

And yet, also competing here with a half-sibling from the ‘other’ brand; the one that in a first life was a Volvo performance sub-operation and has now rebirthed as an independent maker of electric cars, like Volvo also owned by China’s Geely.

The C40 and the Polestar 2 that has been well received by Kiwis are close, insofar that both run the same drivetrain configurations. And yet so far apart … in that the Volvo prices above $80,000 and the Polestar starts below. Meaning the entry $76,900 entry edition ‘2’ achieves a tasty $8625 Clean Car rebate and the base C40, in starting from $85,900, misses out.

Montgomery indicates his team worked assiduously to find a way to position C40 into the ‘zone’, but despite best effort at all levels – locally and internationally – it couldn’t be achieved. Never mind. Initial interest in the model suggests consumers can see it being worth the money asked.

Just as well, because the Recharge cars will very much carry Volvo for the next two years as it weans off fossil fuels.

“Volvo made it very clear on where they're going and they were one of the first manufacturers to say it, and we are in a rush together. From next year my current forecast is that 50 percent of my sales will be battery electric, with another 20 percent with PHEV and 30 percent with mild hybrid.”

Come 2024, the push steps up with what’s known currently as EX90; that’s the concept that previews the next generation of another Volvo sales stalwart, the XC90, set to move from its current PHEV format to full electric. Though not set to be in production for another 18 months, it’s going to be revealed in production form soon.

Actually, in a way, much about what the EX90 has already been shared with the world.  By Polestar, of course. The Polestar 3 has a very different body styling – and it’s a five seater versus seven with Volvo – but it nonetheless has the same advanced new SPA2 platform and will likely deliver with every salient system that allies.

Probability that the new XC90 will cost more than the current car, which starts at $102,000, seems high; it’s a big step forward.

Will it cost more than the Polestar 3, which from overseas’ talk might start above $160,000?

Montgomery says it’s way too early to say. “I’m not able to share too much on EX90. We expect to see it in 2024 and we don’t have too much visibility at present.

 “But I would look at the current XC 90 and say that is at an incredibly competitive price. I certainly expect prices to increase, but as to where I'm not able to share.”

Polestar 2 comes from China. C40 is also “built in China, designed in Sweden”, as are the XC40 and XC60.

That’s not a hindrance for quality, and once the supply line operates at optimal, will make it a lot easier to achieve product, because shipping times are more than halved compared to securing consignment from Sweden. Conceivably, a car built in China could be delivered four to six weeks after order.

 That’s when all runs smoothly. It hasn’t in the Covid period and, also, NZ is just one of many markets eager for this car.

“We certainly have more demand that we currently have supply for. My job is very clear. It's to argue New Zealand's case and increase that supply level.”

Volvo is listening. The local arm achieved 400 registrations in 2019. “In the depths of Covid, we went up to 700 plus last year. We’re going to do 800 plus this year and I’m going set another record next year.

 “We've grown year on year and haven't even seen the impact of having an electric vehicle yet.”