© Ford
Plus, Polestar to open 15 U.S. showrooms this year, and Porsche to join a fundraising round for Rimac.
Welcome to The Grid, R&T's quick roundup of the auto industry and motorsports news you should know this morning.
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Ford Bronco Production Will Reportedly Begin March 29th
The small Bronco Sport has been in production for a few months now, but soon, the real thing will start rolling off the assembly line. The Drive brought our attention to a forum post from Bronco6G.com indicating that Ford intends to begin 2021 Bronco production on March 29. This doesn't mean that deliveries will begin this month, however, as there's a bit of a time gap between production start and the point at which the car is given the all-clear to be sold. So cars may not arrive at dealers until later this spring, or possibly this summer.
Polestar to Open 15 U.S. Showrooms in 2021
With the new Polestar 2 in production, Volvo's all-electric offshoot is looking to move some cars all across the U.S. The brand announced today that it plans to open 15 new"Spaces" across the U.S. in 2021, targeting the major cities you'd expect. At the moment, Polestar has just four of these company-operated Spaces, one in Manhattan, one in Los Angeles, and two in the San Francisco Bay Area. A Denver store will open up on the 30th, while dates for the remaining 14 Spaces are yet to be announced. Additionally, Automotive News reports that the brand hopes to have 35 Spaces open by the end of 2022. Like Tesla, Polestar is eschewing traditional franchise dealers for in-house-run showrooms in an attempt to provide a better customer experience. Over the next few years, Polestar will expand its lineup to include a crossover and the production version of the Precept concept.
Porsche to Join Fundraising Round for Rimac
Rimac, the electric hypercar maker, has become a hot commodity for its innovative EV tech, and currently, Porsche owns a 15.5-percent stake in the Croatian company. Reuters reports that Porsche's stake could increase to under 50 percent, as it's set to join a fundraising round for Rimac that could see the EV company raise over $150 million. Mate Rimac confirmed the news to German publication Automobilewoche, and it comes a week after Porsche CEO Oliver Blume told the same outlet that VW may still sell Bugatti to Rimac. Mate Rimac said the fundraising should be completed within the next few months, with an additional round planned for later this year.