Polestar, which had been a racing division of Volvo, has a small fleet of electric vehicles available for sale and for test drives at the Naples Volvo dealership.
Just last month, Polestar officially became its own company, positioning itself to compete not just against Tesla but against gas-powered cars as well, General Manager Joe Parisi said.
“The reality is, that if the manufacturers don’t participate in the electrical vehicle space, they’re going to become a thing of the past,” Parisi said. “The horse and buggies are no longer riding up and down U.S. 41. The gas vehicles took over that. Well, eventually, you’re going to find the gas vehicle is no longer going to be going up and down U.S. 41 at the level it is today.”
Polestar announced the opening of its dealership within Volvo at 5870 Naples Blvd. in North Naples, only to find the arrival of cars had been delayed by a few days. Now, there are two Polestar models ready to roll.
Appointments can be booked online, directly from Polestar’s website. It’s a sign that Polestar wants to be known as a “digital-first” company, Parisi said.
Polestar and Volvo’s joint operating agreement dictated that Polestars can be sold from the Naples Volvo dealership, but they cannot be displayed inside the same showroom unless they have been sold and are awaiting a customer to pick them up.
Later this year, Polestar won’t have such conditions and is planning for a standalone location at a North Naples shopping center to be announced closer to when it’s ready.
Polestar dealerships are called “spaces” by the company as a way to differentiate itself from competitors.
“It’s not your typical car dealership space,” Parisi said. “It’s much smaller. Quaint. It’s very premium. Very clean. Our showroom will have three cars on display inside.”
Two will be parked outside for the test drives serving all of Southwest Florida.
This will be just one of 23 dealerships in the country and four in Florida, he said, with more planned.
“One thing is for certain,” Parisi said. “The electric vehicle market is here. It’s going to continue to grow, and it’s not going away.”
