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Polestar announces first retail partner in Americas


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Rockleigh, NJ (Oct 16, 2019) Polestar, the electric performance brand, announced Groupe Park Avenue as its first retail partner in the Americas region today. A Polestar Space, Polestar’s new automotive retail concept will be located in Montreal, Canada. In conjunction with this first retail appointment for the Canadian market, Polestar announced Hugues Bissonnette as the Country Manager of the Canadian business.

“I am delighted to announce two critical components of Polestar’s entry into the Canadian market today,” said Gregor Hembrough, Head of Polestar in the Americas. “We have selected an incredible partner in Groupe Park Avenue. I am confident the team will embody the premium, consumer-centric retail experience we are striving for. It is also fitting that alongside the first retailer in Montreal, we announce a Quebecois as the Country Manager. Hugues has the right skillset, developed over time working in both the Americas and Europe, and I am confident he will have great success launching Polestar in Canada.”

The agreement with Groupe Park Avenue paves the way for the Montreal market launch of Polestar. The next steps include selection of the physical location for the Polestar Space and a ramp-up of marketing efforts, which began this past week at Complexe Desjardins.

"Groupe Park Avenue is extremely proud to partner with Polestar. We believe that after more than 60 years in business, this addition to our brand portfolio will excite our customers and help accelerate the shift towards electrification," said Norman Hébert, President and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Park Avenue.

To support Groupe Park Avenue is new Country Manager for Canada, Hugues Bissonnette. Hugues started his automotive career in 1997, and has since spearheaded multiple market launches in Canada and abroad. Hugues’ career moved him to Volvo headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, when he became a Commercial Project Leader and, most recently, he led Volvo Canada’s Sales Operations, Product Planning and Vehicle Distribution.

“It is a privilege to lead a business in the fast growing electric vehicle market. I’m looking forward to implementing a new and unique brand, and the ability to do it at home in Canada is a dream come true. With an experienced team supporting me it is exciting to be at the beginning of the Polestar journey, designing products and services that will meet the highest demands of our unique clientele.”

Polestar Montreal will open in 2020, to be joined by Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, and a strategically-placed network of retailers in the United States.

About Polestar Polestar is the electric performance car brand jointly owned by Volvo Car Group and Zhejiang Geely Holding. Polestar enjoys specific technological and engineering synergies with Volvo Cars and benefits from significant economies of scale as a result. This facilitates the successful design, development and production of separately-branded, electric performance cars.

Polestar launched in 2017 with the Polestar 1 – a low-volume Electric Performance Hybrid GT with 600 hp, 1,000 Nm and an electric-only range of 150 km – the longest of any hybrid car in the world. In 2019, the Polestar 2 was revealed as the company’s first full electric, higher volume premium car designed to compete around the Tesla Model 3. In the future, Polestar 3 will join the portfolio as a fully electric performance SUV.

Polestar also applies its technology and expertise to electrified Volvo cars. The new Volvo S60, V60 and XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered models feature key Polestar components to create a sharper and more engaging driving experience. Polestar optimisation software upgrades are also available for Volvo models, which enhance six performance areas including engine output. Polestar Engineered media information can be found on the Volvo Cars media website.