According to a report by Singapore’s CarBuyer, Wearnes Automotive has been appointed the official distributor for the Polestar brand in the island republic. The company, which has several car brands in its portfolio, also confirmed that the Polestar 2 will be the first model to be sold from Volvo’s offshoot EV brand.
“Entering into the local market as a premium electric brand, we found a natural partner in Wearnes Automotive and we are excited to join their portfolio of premium and luxury brands,” said Nathan Forshaw, Polestar’s head of the China and Asia Pacific regions.
“As the electric sector gathers momentum, Polestar 2 will establish itself as a truly enjoyable, premium electric alternative. We pride ourselves on the ‘Wearnes Experience’, giving our customers unparalleled levels of service and excellence. This fits the Polestar strategy perfectly,” commented Andre Roy, CEO of Wearnes Automotive.
As part of the brand’s introduction, a new Polestar showroom will be set up in Singapore by November this year in the spot that is currently taken by Infiniti at Wearnes’ multi-brand facility at 45 Leng Kee Road. The Japanese luxury brand will be dropped by Wearnes, with sales of new Infiniti models due to cease by the end of 2021.
The Polestar 2 will look to compete against the Tesla Model 3, which is already available for order in Singapore, with deliveries scheduled to begin in the second half of 2021. The Model 3 is offered in two variants, starting with the Standard Range Plus that is priced at SGD112,845 (RM349,020) excluding COE and options, followed by the range-topping Performance that goes for SGD154,815 (RM478,994).
Pricing for the Polestar 2 has yet to be provided, but it’s understood there will be three variants for customers to choose from. The base option features a front-mounted electric motor providing 224 PS (221 hp) and 330 Nm, paired with a 64-kWh battery that provides a WLTP-rated 440 km of range.
Further up the chain is a long range FWD variant with 231 PS (228 hp or 170 kW) and 330 Nm, along with a higher-capacity 78-kWh battery for a range of up to 540 km. Both FWD variants share the same 160 km/h top speed and 0-100 km/h time of 7.4 seconds.
At the top of pack is an all-wheel drive variant that uses the same 78-kWh battery, but it powers two electric motors (one on each axle) for a combined 408 PS (402 hp or 300 kW) and 660 Nm. This setup allows for a century sprint time of 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 205 km/h, although the range takes a hit compared to the long range FWD variant, coming in at 480 km.
Polestar quotes seven hours for a full charge when plugged into a Type 2-standard charger capable of 11 kW, while with DC fast charging using a CCS2 connector and a 150-kW charger, it takes 40 minutes to get to an 80% state of charge.
As for us, Volvo Car Malaysia managing director Nalin Jain previously said there are no concrete plans to bring in any Polestar vehicles, although the fully electric XC40 Recharge is on the cards. The Polestar name is currently used for upgrade packages that customers can order for a number of Volvo models. A Polestar 2 did land on our shores before, although the car in question, which was brought in by Vision Motorsports, was only for display purposes and not for sale.
The post Polestar to launch in Singapore this Nov with Wearnes Automotive as distributor; Polestar 2 first car planned appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.
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