Swedish electric vehicle company Polestar opened its new “Polestar Space” location in Cherry Creek North Thursday by unveiling its newest model, the Precept.

More than 50 people packed the retail location at 240 St. Paul St., crowding around the Polestar 2 on display as well as the new Polestar 5. A full-sized model of the Precept, built in clay, wowed the crowd with “ooohs” and “aahhs” as the black cover was removed. It’s the first time the model has been seen in the western United States region, according to company officials.

“This isn’t a concept car anymore, we’re calling this a promise car,” said Gregor Hembrough, head of Polestar’s North American operations. “A little over 36 months from now, our goal is to get this here to show the people of Denver. We have a very strong future together.

The company opened the original Polestar Spaces in April two streets over on Fillmore. It was the second new electric vehicle retailer to open in the Denver area market, as upstart Canadian company ElectraMeccanica  has opened a kiosk at Park Meadows to roll out its one-seater EV SOLO.

Polestar’s flagship car is the Polestar 2. It’s described by company literature as “a premium five-door fastback with two electric motors and a 78 kWh battery capacity and an EPA range of 233 miles.” It’s base priced at $60,000.

The private company is 50 percent owned by Volvo, which has helped the brand gain quick traction, Hembrough said.

“It’s better than the Tesla model of selling electric vehicles because you buy Polestar from a local family, and we handle the service locally,” said Michael McDonald, president of McDonald Automotive Group.

McDonald said when Polestar originally approached them about the partnership, they wanted to be in the Cherry Creek Mall. But company officials got talked into Cherry Creek North instead, in the new mixed-use building at 240 St. Paul St. by BMC Investments.

“We just got our permit 10 days ago,” he said. “Cherry Creek North has the foot traffic and lifestyles that fits the Polestar brand.”

McDonald, which originally opened in Denver in 1965, has five locations on South Broadway in Littleton — Volkswagen, Volvo, Audi, Mazda and Hyundai – and another in Lakewood. It’s about to break ground on a Parker location that will include sales and service, opening in the first quarter of 2022.

“This is a special night for our family and for our company,” McDonald told the crowd. “If you think back to when my grandfather was selling cars 73 years ago, they probably had horsepower of like 28. … We’re so proud we’re going to unveil a new car tonight that is going to be a great choice for everyone in the industry, and for you consumers it’s an incredible product. We as a company are very fortunate to represent Polestar.”

Hembrough talked about picking Denver as the company’s fifth retail location, behind cities like New York, San Francisco and Chicago. Now there’s 15 nationwide.

“All the data was pointing to Colorado,” he said. “It was the incentives Colorado brought to customers and the growing infrastructure here, which is also important for the convenience factor of EVs. And it was the demographics of a customer really focused on the EV marketplace.”

He described the Precept as “the intersection of design, innovation and technology.”

“There’s no rear window in this car,” he said, noting cameras will capture all rear views and display on the dashboard. “We’re rewarding you with a moonroof that goes beyond the rear seat.”

For the models that are available, customers can order from the Cherry Creek North store and it will be delivered in 2 weeks to a month, McDonald said.

Dovetail Solutions represented the companies.

The Precept model is leaving town Sunday.