“Swedish automaker Polestar is known for exploring new ways of operating in the car industry,” says Swedish automaker Polestar. (Speaking of your own company in the third person is a trait common to press releases, particularly for high-end products). Its latest innovative gambit is, indeed, a new way of operating: You can trade your way to a Polestar.
The offer applies only to the Polestar 1, a lovely plug-in hybrid sports coupe with 619 horsepower. The company explains, “Prospective buyers will be offered the opportunity to pay for the $155,000 vehicle by trading art they already own.”
The offer ends August 15, or when the last Polestar 1 has been sold. We’re not sure precisely how many remain available. But the company announced its intention to stop taking orders for the car back in February, so there are likely not many left.
Don’t Bring a Pile of Kids Art from the Refrigerator
The company says it “will consider all forms of art, including paintings, sculptures, photography, installations and more.” Proposed trades will need the approval of “Theodor Dalenson, a leading private art advisor.”
Should he sign off on the trade, famed auction houses Sotheby’s and Phillips will place a value on the artwork. “It is Polestar’s intention to, after a period of ownership, sell the art, either via the above auction houses or through the dealers that represent the artists,” the company says.
Abstract Expressionism Gets You a 4.2-Second 0-60 Time
And what will you get for the spare sculpture in the lower garden? The 1 uses a turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine and a pair of electric motors, driving the rear wheels. The 1 can drive on electric power alone for 52 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that the average American drives 27 miles per day or less. So, in practical terms, a Polestar 1 will function as an electric car in everyday driving.
It boasts a 0-60 mph time of 4.2 seconds.
Trading art for a car is a new one, but Polestar is the second automaker to experiment with non-traditional payment methods recently. Tesla briefly accepted Bitcoin as payment for its cars early this year.
