The Polestar electric vehicle car brand plans to launch its first Southwest Florida dealership in early 2023 at Mercato in North Naples.
The dealership signed a lease to relocate its temporary dealership on Naples Boulevard to a permanent brick-and-mortar storefront in the popular lifestyle center near the northeast corner of U.S. 41 and Vanderbilt Beach Road. The luxury vehicle provider will open the nation’s 23rd dealership in a 2,850-square-foot space across the street from Burntwood Tavern.
“We are thrilled to be moving our temporary home at the Volvo dealership to a long-term space at Mercato, one of the most active entertainment destinations in the market,” said Joe Parisi, general manager/managing partner of Polestar Naples. “Polestar’s brand image aligns perfectly with Mercato’s identity and we’re looking forward to educating the community on the vision behind our vehicles, which feature the highest caliber of technology, safety and luxury in the EV industry.”
Polestar will be moving into the space at 9115 Strada Place, Suite 5130, which has been occupied by East West Fine Art for the past decade. The local art gallery is relocating soon to a larger space nearby in Mercato. The dealership will abut a breezeway shared with Buff City Soap and offer a limited selection of cars for onsite test-driving or immediate purchase seven days a week.
“I’ll have two cars in front of the breezeway and three cars in the showroom and two to four cars on site for test drives,” Parisi said.
Parisi thinks the Mercato presence will mean a lot more foot traffic for the EV brand. Customers will be able to scan QR codes on the cars to see more information about the vehicles and will be able to schedule test drives without even going into the dealership, he said.
Unlike conventional dealerships or showrooms, Polestar spaces are unique retail environments where customers can explore all car components from the glassed-in brakes and batteries to color and material samples to rims and more. Specialists are also available to assist with customizing vehicles that can be delivered to a buyer’s home or their preferred dealership.
Established in 1996 by Volvo Cars’ partner Flash/Polestar Racing, Polestar was acquired by Volvo in 2015 and transitioned to a standalone brand focused on electric cars in 2017. Known for its avant-garde design and use of sustainable materials to reduce emissions and waste common to the auto-making industry, Polestar will offer its premium collection of electric cars, sedans and sport utility vehicles in its space at Mercato. Current models include the limited-edition Polestar 1, a two-door hybrid; and Polestar 2, a five-door sport sedan, the first vehicle in the industry with a Google Android-powered infotainment system. The Polestar 3, a clean-air, luxury SUV, is set to launch at the end of this year.
“We have so many car enthusiasts who frequent Mercato on a regular basis, and I’m confident Polestar’s team will feel right at home as soon as the space opens to the public,” said Mercato General Manager Michael McLean.
Meanwhile at Mercato, East West Fine Art will relocate to the nearby corner space previously housing the temporary Original Selfie Museum at 9115 Strada Place, Suite 5155. “We are relocating to a bigger and more beautiful unit,” said East West owner Leeza Arkhangelskaya. “We are moving and remodeling now so we are thinking we will be open in about two weeks.”
The art gallery is waiting until January to have a grand opening party when more seasonal residents are in town. In addition to relocating, the gallery will be introducing new artists from Fiji, New Zealand and Canada, Arkhangelskaya said.
The new space will be the third location for the gallery, which started on Fifth Avenue South in downtown Naples in 2000 before relocating to Mercato 10 years ago.
