Polestar Makes Design Statement with Chengdu Factory

Polestar, the brand that Volvo spun off as a separate entity to make electric cars has made a design statement with its new factory in Chengdu, China. The factory is the company’s first manufacturing facility and will make the Polestar 1. The company showcased its attention to design and detail by picking renowned Norwegian architecture and design firm, Snøhetta for the project.

Snøhetta has been in the news for designing renowned buildings like the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, Times Square, the Grand Opera House in Shanghai and the Central Library in Calgary.
The new factory is expected to get the Gold Status from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) organization thanks to its environmentally friendly design, and collaboration with suppliers who are environmentally responsible. Polestar’s CEO said that the facility was designed based on the concept that it would not only serve as the manufacturing facility for a premium hybrid-electric performance car, but would also be an inspirational manufacturing environment, that would be a great place to work and visit.

In addition to the assembly plant, the factory includes an atrium where visitors can enjoy a panoramic view over the factory floor, a test track and a customer experience center.

Polestar is planning to make the first deliveries of the Polestar 1 deliveries later in 2019 and hence production should begin immediately at the new factory in Chengdu. The plan is to manufacture 500 of the carbon-fiber-bodied, 600-horsepower coupes on an annual basis for the first three years. Each step in the assembly process will be helmed by auditors having at least 10 years of experience and “some of the strictest monitoring and assessment procedures in the industry.”

Early in 2020, the Polestar 2, which would be more affordable will start coming off the production lines at a different factory in Lugiao, China.