Brussels Motor Show 2020
It all started with an idea. An idea for electrified performance cars that combine innovation and expertise in one, obsessively designed, package. This idea then grew and grew, from a series of sketches to actual cars. Cars which will be delivered to customers this year.
This was the defining aspect of Polestar's first appearance at the 98th Brussels Motor Show, held in Brussels (where else) from January 10th to 19th, 2020. This wasn't an auto show appearance to tease the public with a glimpse of what's to come. This was a chance for potential customers to see both the Polestar 1 and Polestar 2 up close, with the expectation that it would be in their driveways and turning their neighbours' heads within a few months.
The Brussels Motor Show has been held annually since 1902 (with some interruptions), with cars and motorcycles in focus during even-numbered years and commercial vehicles taking the spotlight in odd-numbered years. This year's iteration took place in the 100,000 m2 Brussels Expo. With attendance at well over the half a million mark, a huge venue was required.
We exhibited in two different spots: our own event stand in Hall 6, and the Polestar 1 in the Dream Cars section of the show. Our stand featured a void Polestar 2 and a matte snow Polestar 1, backed by our signature façade (rendered in white this time). Behind the façade was an enclosed area containing our atelier tables, display screens and a thunder Polestar 2.
The entire stand was minimalist. Polestar through and through. We have a reputation to uphold, after all.
The Dream Cars exhibition was another thing entirely. Reserved for premium models and supercars, Dream Cars is an exclusive showroom decorated according to specific themes. 2020's theme was "Spring and Rebirth", and if James Cameron's Avatar featured an auto showroom, it would've looked like this. The spaces between the wooden event stands were filled with "flourishing verdant nature" (their words), which served to highlight the avant-garde design of the matte magnesium Polestar 1 in its midst.
And the visitors came in droves. Both the event stand and the Dream Cars showroom were full of people eager to see the cars, speak to product specialists, and hear the keynote speeches of Polestar COO Jonathan Goodman and Polestar 2 product manager Beatrice Simonsson. Sales figures of the Polestar 2 were into double digits by lunchtime of the first day. Our first Brussels Motor Show appearance was a success. It showed that as our idea for electrified performance cars has grown, so too has the number of people who wanted to buy into that idea and take a piece of it home with them.
And now they can.
