If you want to get a new car, you usually drive to a dealership on the outskirts of the city.

In the meantime, manufacturers are also looking the other way around and presenting their new models in chic showrooms in the city center.

The Volvo electric brand Polestar has just opened one of these in the Frankfurt hotel and residential complex “Flare” not far from the Hauptwache on Große Eschenheimer Straße, where the business premises on the ground floor intended for retail and catering are otherwise empty.

Petra Kirchhoff

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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The Scandinavians call their seventh branch of this kind in Germany “Polestar Space”, which is operated in Frankfurt by their regional cooperation partner, Emil Frey Hessengarage. Two models, the Polestar 1 (a hybrid, from 155,000 euros) and the Polestar 2 (fully electric, from 42,000 euros), can be seen here in the rooms, which are decorated in elegant beige and gray tones and have a minimalist style. Nothing stands around. Information runs digitally on flat screens. As a special feature, branch manager Max Knorpp emphasizes that customers can also buy or lease a car online in the exhibition. As Germany boss Alexander Lutz demonstrated on the sidelines of the official opening last week, this can be done in a few minutes - also because the configuration options are manageable.The Frankfurt branch is the only one where ordered cars are handed over to customers. Knorpp promises a "hand-over experience".

6000 euros funding

The vehicles, which can be booked for test drives of up to two hours, are in the underground car park.

According to Knorpp, appointments during the week are also spontaneous, for Friday and Saturday you should plan two weeks in advance.

As a Volvo partner, Hessengarage also offers test drives through its other branches.

According to the dealership, every fifth trip in the region leads to a purchase.

Especially with the Polestar 2, which has been delivered for almost a year, the Swedes are relying on a mass market under their Chinese parent company Geely.

After deducting the 6,000 euros premium that the state uses to promote the purchase of e-cars, the simplest version of the model costs 36,000 euros.

The standard motorization promises a range of 470 kilometers.

The vehicle has been delivered for almost a year.

According to the Germany boss, the targeted sales figure of 3,000 has not yet been achieved.

He sees one reason in the slow development of the charging infrastructure in Germany.

Polestar Space

Große Eschenheimer Straße 14, Frankfurt, Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.