8:07 am, June 18, 2024
Seasoned motor trade professional Jonathan Goodman has retired from Polestar and handed over the reins to former Nio boss Matt Galvin.
The move leaves question marks over the launch of the Chinese electric car brand Nio which is said to have pushed back a launch date to 2025.
Galvin will take over from Goodman at the end of June and previously worked at Mercedes, Volvo and most recently Nio. Galvin recently appeared at Car Dealer Live as the head of Nio.
Electrifying.com reported that Nio has cooled its plans to launch a Nio House – the name for its dealerships – at Hyde Park Corner, London, and is also said to be struggling to get planning permission for its Power Swap Stations.
Nio allows owners to swap depleted batteries for fully charged units in a few minutes at the sites and their installation is said to be critical to the brand’s launch. The firm has said it won’t launch until this infrastructure is in place.
Now Galvin’s exit to head-up Polestar will add further questions over its launch here. In December, the Nio boss was forced to deny rumours the brand had shelved its plans to come to the UK saying it was a case of ‘when, not if’ the brand would arrive here.
Galvin did not comment on his appointment in the official Polestar press statement, but on LinkedIn he said he was ‘proud’ to be taking over from Goodman. There has been no statement as to who will take over from Galvin at Nio.
‘I look forward to continuing the good work you and the team have started,’ Galvin wrote on Goodman’s post about his retirement.
Goodman said: ‘The end of an era! After 38 years in the motor industry and after 22 different jobs with three fabulous companies in Volvo, Stellantis and Polestar.
‘I am very grateful to have the opportunity to retire at the end of June. A huge thank you to Polestar for making this possible.
‘The last seven years has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It has been a joy to work with so many talented people and it is the people that make a brand.’
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Goodman added that his last few years have been focussed on the UK where there are now 27,000 Polestar cars on the road and nine dealerships.
He added: ‘None of this would have been possible without the fantastic team and retail partners that we have built in the UK.’
Goodman also said he was ‘delighted’ to welcome Galvin to the role.
‘I look forward to watching him continue to drive success in the UK from the comfort of my sofa,’ he added.
In a recent interview, Nio founder William Li told Electrifying.com that he hoped to bring his firm’s other brands – Onvo and Firefly – to the UK alongside Nio. The firm has a UK base in Oxford.
Car Dealer attempted to contact Nio for comment.
