Polestar selling the 2 was both a blessing and a curse for them.
On one hand, they got a car to help build their brand with minimal relative effort - a nearly-finished Volvo (S40) handed to them on a silver platter, only needing its badges swapped out and some slightly different interior design to match the brand’s vision before going on sale.
But on the other hand, the brand they publicly have wanted to build is a Porsche to Volvo’s Audi. So in chasing volume with the 2, they’re diluting the image and prestige of this brand they want to build up. The Polestar 4 needs to be up to standard, otherwise the upcoming Porsche Macan EV and Maserati Grecale Foglore are going to eat its lunch.
Is the Polestar 4 supposed to be a competitor to the Macan EV and Grecale?
From the details that have come out or been speculated on, the Polestar 4 is ~$60K (Polestar confirmed) vs the Macan EV being more like $80K (rumor/speculation) and the Grecale being ~$75K (speculation/rumor).
I would think from a price/luxury standpoint, the Polestar 4 is more of a competitor to like an e-tron, lower model BMW iSeries, Lyriq, etc.
It is so exciting watching this ®evolution of the global auto industry. I am curious to see who all the winners & losers will be in 10 years. 🤔
Thinking of just the “smaller” brands (not Tesla, VW, Volvo, BYD, Ford, etc.):
Seems like they will be fine and have reached survivability:
- Polestar
- Rivian
- NIO
- Xpeng
Near an inflection point:
- Fisker
- Lotus
- VinFast
Seems like they aren’t going to make it:
- Lucid
- Canoo
- Faraday
Nio’s pretty clearly dying on the vine right now. Layoffs this week, consolidation of the Alps brand, and continued downward pressure from brands like BYD and Li has them struggling. The whole Nio Phone project will eventually be a write-off. Eventually, so will be the battery swap infrastructure too. If they survive, it’ll likely be through some kind of restructuring process or by taking outside investment.
Xpeng is doing better only because of the Volkswagen architectural investment, but even then they’re headed for tough times. Growth just hasn’t been where they’re wanted it to be, price cuts continue to be a problem, and profitability is nil.
Lotus is fine, it’s wholly Geely-owned and seems to have a long horizon — the HQ for Lotus Nyo was just established in Wuhan. Unless the parent company runs into trouble, Lotus is pretty safe over there cranking out upmarket SEA offerings.
Xpeng is doing better only because of the Volkswagen architectural investment, but even then they’re headed for tough times. Growth just hasn’t been where they’re wanted it to be, price cuts continue to be a problem, and profitability is nil.
I hope Xpeng doesn’t die, I love their aesthetics and their tech looks awesome. Hoping to see them hit Aussie shores one day 🤞
Up to consumers and governments to show them staying with ICE is not the path to profits.