In a likely attempt to distance itself from the Volvo brand, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath—former head of design for Volvo—is stepping down, according to Inside EVs.
While Polestar was initially launched as a performance sub-brand of Volvo, it split off into its own brand in 2017. It was a way for the owner of the two vehicle brands, Geely Group, to experiment with electric vehicles outside of Volvo.
Many vehicles that were being developed for Volvo were instead released later under the Polestar brand, such as Volvo’s C90 that was released as the hybrid Polestar 1.
By the time Volvo decided it wanted to incorporate EVs into its lineup in 2021, it was met with the problem of creating something that differentiated it from Polestar. The similarity between the two brands haven’t been beneficial for either one, making Ingenlath’s departure potentially a benefit for Volvo and Polestar.
Last year, Volvo ceased funding it was providing to Polestar, as both brands suffer from protectionism tariffs—especially for Polestar, with production plants scattered across the globe in countries including China and South Korea.
It’s resulted in Polestar struggling to get vehicles out in time, leading to a near standstill in market growth for the company.
Following Ingenlath’s exit, Michael Lohscheller—who has held roles with automakers including Daimler, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, and Opel—will take his place as Polestar’s CEO.
