Less than a year after taking the wheel at Polestar North America, Anders Gustafsson is leaving the electric car maker May 11.

Rick Bryant, Polestar North America’s operations chief and a Volvo Cars veteran, will take the top job overseeing the U.S. and Canada markets.

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Bryant has more than three decades of automotive industry experience, including stints at BMW, Buick and Honda. He has held leadership roles in sales and operations, including nearly a decade as executive vice president of sales operations for Volvo Car USA.

Smooth operator

In a memo to retailers announcing his resignation that was reviewed by Automotive News, Gustafsson said of Bryant: “From the moment I joined Polestar, it was clear we had the right person already in place.”

Matthew Haiken, CEO of the Polestar Short Hills dealership in New Jersey, said Bryant has “helped run the show” for the past year.

“Rick is the day-to-day operator, the sales guy, the dealer guy,” Haiken told Automotive News.

Volvo dealer Ernie Norcross said Bryant knows how to balance the interests of retailers and the manufacturer.

“Rick always looks for a win-win, rather than a win-lose, because he understands that if dealers lose, the factory doesn’t win,” said Norcross, owner of Volvo Cars Memphis in Tennessee. “His leadership and skills were sorely missed when he left Volvo.”

Driving into headwinds

Bryant’s operational chops will be tested as Polestar navigates geopolitics and slowing electric vehicle sales growth in the U.S.

The Trump administration has slapped tariffs of 145 percent on Chinese auto imports and 25 percent on cars from other countries.

That poses an existential crisis for the young Polestar brand with only two nameplates — one of which is a sedan made in China — and plans to launch a Korean-made, coupe-like crossover in the fourth quarter.

Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller warned of a hit from American import duties as the Swedish carmaker looks to shift manufacturing to the U.S. and Europe to reduce reliance on China. Due to geopolitical uncertainty, Polestar paused its 2025 forecast.

Polestar gained market momentum in the U.S. last year after debuting its second model, the Polestar 3 midsized crossover.

According to Automotive News Research and Data Center estimates, Polestar’s first-quarter deliveries surged 50 percent from a year ago to 1,650, powered by an aggressive offer to conquest Tesla customers.

The U.S.-built Polestar 3 accounted for 90 percent of Polestar’s first-quarter deliveries, while Polestar 2 sales plunged 86 percent.

Gustafsson hints at next gig

Gustafsson, who spent nearly 15 years at Volvo Cars, will waste no time getting back into the game.

In a social media post, Gustafsson said he will begin at a “large U.S.-listed company” on May 12 — a day after he and his beloved Goldendoodle, Gussie, “return our badges at Polestar’s U.S. headquarters.”

The affable Swede hinted that his new gig is in the automotive retail business.

“Instead of selling cars, I will now be buying and selling around 1 million cars every year — a completely new and exciting challenge,” Gustafsson said.

Some of the companies fitting that description include CarMax, Carvana, Hertz and Lithia Motors.

Gustafsson served as CEO of Hertz Sweden before joining Volvo in 2009.

Meanwhile, Lithia Motors COO Adam Chamberlain, will leave the dealership group in July to run Mercedes-Benz USA.