Polestar (PSNY) has hired Philip Römers to lead its design team. Before joining Polestar, Römers was a lead Volkswagen and Audi designer known for designing the Mk7 VW Golf and Audi e-tron GT.

Polestar hires former VW and Audi designer

Römers is taking over for Maximilian Missoni, who has spent the past six years with Polestar. Before that, he spent eight and a half years at Volvo and ten at Volkswagen in various design roles.

“I thank Max for his leadership and companionship during the inception of Polestar as Europe’s only pure EV brand,” Polestar’s CEO Thomas Ingenlath said Wednesday. He helped set the design standards that set Polestar apart in luxury and performance.

Ingenlath welcomed Römers, saying his modern approach and luxury experience will help Polestar “take the next step in developing our model line-up.”

Römers is best known for his work on the 7th generation VW Golf. After joining Volkswagen in 2006, his design was chosen for the Golf in 2009.

He then jumped to Audi, where he is credited with designing the outgoing A6, A8, and e-Tron GT models.

An inflection point

The hiring comes at a crucial time as Polestar enters its next growth stage. After delivering the first Polestar 4 models in Europe this week, the Swedish EV brand expanded from a one-car to a three-car lineup.

Deliveries of the Polestar 3 electric SUV began in Europe earlier this summer. “With three models, Polestar is positioning itself as the design-led premium luxury electric car brand in the global EV market,” Ingenlath explained.

The company said Polestar 4 deliveries are expected to begin in North America and Australia by the end of the year. It will start at $56,300 in the US with up to 300 miles range as the latest Tesla Model Y challenger.

Last week, Polestar announced it built its first electric SUV in the US. The Polestar 3 starts at $73,400 with up to 315 miles range. It’s expected to rival the new Porsche Macan EV.

By 2026, Polestar plans to have a five-luxury performance EV lineup. Polestar said the electric four-door GT (Polestar 5) and electric roadster (Polestar 6) will be coming soon.

After selling 54,626 vehicles last year, Polestar expects that number to nearly triple as aims to sell 155,000 models next year.