Electric vehicle manufacturer Polestar is set to put one of 25 American retail outlets at The Battery Atlanta, a part of the international performance auto maker’s plans to expand its brand presence across the U.S.
The announcement comes ahead of the introduction of the Polestar 3, an electric sport-utility vehicle that will be the company’s first built in the U.S.
With roots in Swedish racing, Polestar was purchased by Volvo Group in 2015 and still claims the Scandinavian country as its headquarters despite China-based Geely Holding’s ownership of Volvo since 2010.
Polestar’s first production center was built in Chengdu, China, in 2019.
The new Polestar 3 is set to be built at the plant Volvo opened near Charleston, S.C., in 2018.
At the new retail outlet known as a Polestar Space, customers will be able to get a taste of the Polestar 3 SUV digitally while test driving the current offering, the fastback Polestar 2, and interacting with brand experts.
“Polestar Atlanta is one more jewel in the Polestar crown,” said Gregor Hembrough, head of Polestar North America, in a news release. “This beautiful, new Polestar Space represents the hard work that our partners and the team created to capitalize on the growing demand for EVs in Atlanta.”
Georgia is quickly becoming a hub for electric-vehicle manufacturing, but its efforts to drive adoption of EVs have not seen the same momentum.
Atlanta’s charging infrastructure helped drive the decision to locate the showroom in the metro area, the company said.
Manufacturing in the U.S. will help the Polestar 3 qualify for up to $7,500 in tax incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act that are contingent on final assembly being conducted in North America.
“From now on, the USA is no longer an export market but a home market,” Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said in a news release announcing the plan in June 2021, more than a year before the IRA’s passage in August 2022.
Other Polestar Spaces are opening in Charlotte, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn.
The Atlanta space is located near Truist Park at 950 Battery Ave SE.
Learn more about Polestar Spaces here.
