Between Citroën and Polestar, the rafters of reconciliation
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After three years of a bitter legal dispute, Citroën and the Sino-Swedish brand Polestar have decided to put an end to the rafters of discord. The French manufacturer (Stellantis group), which criticized the Volvo subsidiary for having adopted a logo too close to its own, confirmed on Monday August 30 at the World that an agreement had been reached between the two parties. “The complaints have been withdrawn. The case is closed », said a spokesperson for Citroën. No details were given on the content of this gentleman’s agreement.
In 2017, it became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volvo (whose majority shareholder has been the Chinese group Geely since 2010), Polestar adopted a new logo in 2018. A stylized star, supposed to echo the name of the brand (“North Star”) but which evoked two chevrons positioned opposite each other. Citroën, which since its creation in 1919 has chosen a coat of arms with two chevrons located one above the other, a nod to the gears that André Citroën’s company manufactured before embarking on the car, took umbrage. The following year, a complaint was filed against Polestar.
DS, a brand created by PSA which had decided to make part of the Citroën range autonomous, joined the legal action, considering that the Polestar logo could also be confused with its own. A way, too, to give weight to the prejudice invoked: if Citroën, a popular brand, is not a direct competitor of Polestar, which is intended to sell top-of-the-range models, DS claims for its part ambitions in the world of “automotive premium”. Mid-2020, the Paris court refuses to consider that Polestar is liable for infringement but considers that it has “damaged the reputation of French brands”.
Jurisdictional escalation
The firm with the double chevron has therefore suffered damage in terms of image. Polestar is ordered to pay 150,000 euros in damages and is prohibited from using its logo in France. Clearly, the marketing of its range which was to begin at the end of 2020 is blocked. Even if the hexagonal market is not strategic for a manufacturer whose mission is to sell cars over 100,000 euros, the blow is hard.
Finding no common ground, the two firms engaged in a judicial escalation by interposed lawyers. Citroën tried, without success, to get the judges in Brussels to extend the ban on the Sino-Swedish chevrons to all of Europe. Polestar, for its part, took its French rival to court, accusing it of having copied the design of the rims of certain versions of its range in several European markets. The summer seems to have calmed things down and the protagonists have finally decided to bury the axe, or rather the chevron, of war. Polestar, recently listed on the stock exchange and whose objective is to distribute 290,000 electric vehicles worldwide by 2025, will be able to conquer the French market. And Citroën will continue its activities in Europe with peace of mind.
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