We’ve got a busy one for you today folks, we’re talking all things Polestar! So let’s get stuck in straight away!
Polestar, Volvo and Geely…
Although many of us hadn’t heard of Polestar for a long time, it was actually back in the late 90s that they have their origins. But it took nearly two decades before they were officially brought under the Volvo family umbrella. But at that stage, Volvo Cars had recently been bought over by the Chinese giant, Geely. These days, their headquarters are still in Gothenburg in Sweden, but the cars are manufactured in China.
But, hey, that’s enough history…let’s talk cars now!
The Past - Polestar 1
Any of you long time subscribers that have been watching our videos might notice that we really only do full BEVs on this channel…that’s full Battery Electric Vehicles. But we’re making a very short exception today to mention the Polestar 1. Although we want to see manufacturers going full BEV, we can recognise that the Polestar 1 represented a very welcome transition into the electric world for the Polestar brand.
The luxurious, plug-in hybrid Polestar 1 came to us in late 2017, largely resembling the Volvo Concept Coupe we had seen at the Frankfurt show in 2013. Two rear-mounted motors putting out 80kW each drew power from a battery a little over 30kWh in capacity. The range in electric mode only was to be close to 100 miles. In many ways it was hugely impressive, and started to introduce many to the benefits of the electric drivetrain. But having said that, there were already thousands upon thousands of full BEV Tesla Model S on the road. But we’ll take it easy on them for that, because it preceded what arrived a few short years later…the Polestar 2.
The Present - Polestar 2
Now we start to get excited as we talk about full BEVs…and let’s face it…the car that you clicked on this video to see! Personally, I’m a big fan of the Volvo and Polestar styling at the moment. I think they’re right on point.
The Polestar 2 has really clean lines, such a solid stance. The wheel arches are haunched, and with the raised window frames high up on the doors it has a really poised stance. On the inside, it’s as good or even better. There’s an element of that Scandinavian minimalism, although nothing like a Tesla. I love the way the main screen falls down into the centre console. And that drive selector…slick!
But the Polestar 2 isn’t all about design, there’s some substance to it also. Now it’s not going to win a game of Top Trumps against a Tesla Model 3. But then again nothing does! But what the die-hard Tesla fans don’t get is that not everyone cares purely about how low you can get a few statistics on acceleration and range. But let’s take a look at the numbers anyway to get a feel for what the car can do.
Before we talk about options in the US…where I am based in the UK, there’s three options in general. The cheapest, at about £40k, is the Standard Range single motor with a 61kWh usable battery which gets you 275 miles WLTP. 221hp gets you 0-62mph in just over 7 seconds. The Long Range single motor has roughly the same power and acceleration but the 75kWh usable battery will cover 336miles on the WLTP. That’s the one for me as it’s only an extra £3k or thereabouts. But many are going to opt for the performance of the Long Range dual motor. Although it gets less range from the same battery at 299 miles, it has 402hp and will do the 0-62mph sprint in just over 4 seconds.
In the US you don’t get the Standard Range model. But this isn’t a new thing, and we see the difference with Europe here frequently. The distances driven are generally shorter and people can get away with a smaller battery a little bit easier. But one interesting thing to note is that the EPA numbers are a bit lower. EPA for the Dual motor is 249 miles, with the single motor being 270 miles.
Pricing is relative here, and the cost will vary vastly when incentives and tax breaks are taken into account. Where I’m from, a Polestar dual motor is a good bit cheaper than the Model 3 Performance. So the best to thing to do is go onto Polestar’s website for the region you’re in and check the price.
The Future - Polestar 3, 4, 5…
So we’ve covered the past and present of Polestar in the 1 and 2, but what about the future? Considering the progress they’ve made over the last few years, you’d think that they’re unlikely to rest on their laurels now. And you’d be right. They have big plans to keep the line-up expanding with a vehicle release every year for the next three years.
The Polestar 3 looks likely to be released in 2022. We haven’t yet seen the car in full, but we do have some good shots of the car testing in camouflage. A big part of the Polestar’s success may be that it will be manufactured in the US, in Charlestown, Florida. It looks like a crossover SUV, with a sporty poise. The hood plunges dramatically toward that familiar front end. The wheel arches are filled out generously with some alloys, and we like that ascending window line as it rises back at the c-pillar.
The Polestar 4 is to follow in 2023. We don’t yet have a lot of details or even pictures, but we know that it will be a more compact form of SUV compared to the Polestar 3.
Then, in 2024, we’ll be treated to the exciting Polestar 5. It will be heavily influenced by the Precept Concept car, and will take the form of a performance 5 door Grand Tourer. It looks like it will take up a position competing with the likes of the Model S, Taycan Gran Turismo and Lucid Air…but we won’t see the car for a few more years so we wonder just how far the competition will have advanced at that stage.
Our Take
So what’s our take? Well, we’re really excited for Polestar. We think their design is just beautiful. They’re creating a distinctive brand and image. And we’re really happy that they’re coming to market with something other than a crossover SUV. We need more diversity and competition in the EV world, and we welcome Polestar in taking up a place in there.
For some people, the performance, range and charging capabilities of a Tesla will always win out. But there are plenty of people out there that are just turned off by Tesla…they don’t like the image or brand. And many of the other European manufacturers just haven’t stepped up to the EV plate quick enough.
End
But that’s enough from us now…let us know what you think in the comments below. We love to hear from people all over the world!
Will any of the Polestars be on your shopping list…or maybe you’ll stick with your Bolt or MG5 or Model 3? And what do you think the future holds for Polestar, are they poised for success?
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