It was inevitable for Polestar to take advantage as Tesla keeps stirring up controversy
While American electric vehicle (EV) brand, Tesla, under Elon Musk, has been one of the most dominant brands in Europe, mainly in Sweden and Germany, where EVs are more popular than they are here in Malaysia, Musk’s recent controversies (yes plural), have made more buyers hesitant to associate themselves with him through the brand.
To make matters worse, existing Tesla owners are also trying to switch to other brands now. Tesla has seen its sales dropping nearly 44 percent in Sweden and a whopping 76 percent in Germany. Naturally, Swedish automaker Volvo’s luxury EV division, Polestar, saw an opportunity and decided to take advantage.
How so? Polestar is now offering Tesla owners a strong incentive to switch with a substantial USD20,000 (roughly RM88,941) as part of its “Trade in Your Tesla” discount for those who lease the Polestar 3 SUV. Polestar, ever committed to quality and sustainability, introduced this game-changing promotion for Tesla drivers looking to switch to literally any other EV.
Moreover, this generous offer includes USD15,000 (around RM66,693) from Polestar’s Clean Vehicle Incentive, alongside an additional USD5,000 (about RM22,231) specifically for trading in their Tesla. The financial incentives are compelling, but Polestar is offering more than just a big discount.
Polestar is also providing a hassle-free ownership experience that clashes with Tesla’s laundry list of quality and maintenance issues. By leveraging Volvo’s established network of reliable service centers, Polestar ensures that customers enjoy hassle-free maintenance and repairs, unlike Tesla which often resorts to just ignoring problems unless enough people complain.
On top of that, one of the key differences between Polestar and Tesla is the former’s focus on luxury craftsmanship and user-friendly design. Tesla, on the other hand, is known for its minimalist interiors, which some find problematic and overly simplistic, Polestar delivers a more refined and thoughtful design.
With Musk’s increasingly questionable behaviours and unpredictable actions, many European consumers are seeking a brand without a bad name in their EV choice. Polestar’s strategy of focusing on quality, reliability and Scandinavian engineering offers a refreshing alternative. Not a bad way to jump on a business opportunity, eh?
At the end of the day, we all know that regardless of how good a product is, these days, people prefer supporting a product with a face they can look up to instead of one that goes against what the majority believes in. As such, Tesla has been in trouble for a while now and brands are noticing. So what do you think about this?
