Jonathan Goodman retires, Galvin jumps from Nio to Polestar

Matt Galvin has been announced as the UK's new head at electric car firm Polestar, which he is joining from Chinese brand Nio where he was head of sales for Europe.

Galvin, who had been planning Nio's entrance to the UK's new car market after it began sales in Germany, Norway, Sweden and Netherlands, will replace motor industry veteran Jonathan Goodman, who is retiring after 38 years in the industry, the last seven with Polestar including the UK managing director role.

Goodman began his career with Peugeot UK in 1986 and worked in a variety of roles, including overseas posts and as managing director of Peugeot UK from 2009 to 2011.

Polestar, which operates agency agreements with its UK retail partners, has just opened its eighth electric car showroom here, run by Riverside Motor Group at Sheffield.

Its partners tend to also represent Volvo, which was the parent brand from which Polestar was launched and subsequently split out.

Galvin, who had been at Volvo until 2022 when he joined Nio, said: “I am delighted to be taking the role of managing director of Polestar UK and Ireland at such a pivotal time for the brand. As we move from a single car line-up to a three-car brand, and with bold plans for growth over the next few years, it couldn’t be more exciting time to be assuming the role.  

“I very much look forward to working with the existing Polestar UK and Ireland teams and we wish Jonathan a long and healthy retirement.”

Currently Polestar has just one new EV, the Polestar 2, on UK roads, however it is taking orders for the Polestar 4 crossover coupe, which is aimed to compete with Porsche Macan and Tesla Model Y.

Deliveries of that car should begin in August. That will be followed by the Polestar 3 prestige SUV in September/October.

Polestar's global head of commercial Kristian Elvefors said: “We are delighted to welcome Matt into his new role. The UK is a key market for Polestar, and we look forward to seeing the brand go from strength to strength as we expand from a one to three-car company this year.”

Under Goodman's watch Polestar has sold more than 25,000 cars in the UK - in 2023 its 12,543 new car registrations put it on the tail of Jaguar, which was less than 2,000 ahead.

On his retirement, Goodman (pictured left) said: “It has been a privilege to help shape the future of Polestar during its formative years with such strong growth in both sales and brand awareness. We have achieved so much over the past seven years and I have had the honour to work with a first-class team who I wish to thank for their collaboration and fabulous working spirit over the years.” 

Galvin had also held roles at Renault and Mercedes-Benz before his senior roles at Volvo and Nio.