Currently reading: Subs exclusive: Polestar customers not deterred by price hike

Firm's UK head says price increase hasn't turned buyers away from the Polestar 2 electric fastback

Orders for the Polestar 2 haven't so far been affected by a price hike that took effect at the beginning of July, Polestar UK head Jonathan Goodman said.

The entry price of the 2 rose to £43,150 for the Standard Range Single Motor model, up from £41,900. The same car cost £39,900 when the full 2 line-up was launched in 2021, representing an 8% increase in a year.

“We’re still seeing a very, very strong order take since the start of July, and those people are paying the new price, so there's no reason to see demand declining,” Goodman told Autocar.

Car makers across the spectrum are pushing up prices as they pass on a rise in the cost of raw materials to customers. Electric cars have been affected in particular as the cost of battery cell ingredients have risen.

The price of a new Ford Mustang Mach-E, for example, has increased by an average of over £7700 in the past seven months, with the most expensive GT variant rising by more than £9300.

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The price of the long-range Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor has risen by almost £5000 to £49,550 in the past year.

Goodman said that he couldn’t give any guarantees that Polestar wouldn’t increase prices again before the end of 2022.

“The reality is that you have to adapt your prices if the market dynamics change, so we will constantly review it,” he said. “That’s true of every brand.”

Polestar said it delivered “approximately” 21,200 cars globally in the first six months of 2022, more than double the 9,510 cars it managed in the same period in 2021.

Polestar’s UK registrations have risen by 72% to 2828 in the first six months of the year, according to figures from the SMMT. The brand, co-owned by Volvo and its parent firm Geely, saw sales of its Chinese-built cars overtake those of Jeep in the period, despite delays getting cars to customers. It also now outsells DS and Smart.

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Polestar is estimating deliveries for cars ordered now will arrive before the end of the year. However, the company has warned that those cars ordered with 19in diamond-cut wheels could be delayed further due to high demand.

One UK owner on the Polestar UK forum wrote in July that their 2, ordered in April, was due in December but they had received a message saying the order was “currently frozen”.

Supply-chain issues remain at the heart of the delays, Goodman said. “You’ve got global constraints coming in and affecting different suppliers in different ways,” he added.

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Polestar will unveil its second EV in October: the Polestar 3 large SUV. At the same time, it will start accepting UK orders for the car, which is pitched as an electric rival to the Porsche Cayenne and built on the same Volvo SPA2 platform as the forthcoming replacement for the new Volvo XC90 SUV.

Production takes place at Volvo’s new plant in the US. Polestar hasn't revealed delivery dates or an estimated price yet.

The brand is one of the few Chinese-centred, Tesla-inspired start-ups that have launched in the UK, ahead of the likes of BYDLynk&CoNio and Xpeng.

Instead of relying on traditional dealers, it engages customers face to face at its so-called Spaces: outlets situated in shopping locations that offer a low-pressure sales environment.

It will open its halo store in Battersea, south London, this autumn.

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