Geneva show: Polestar unveils all-new Polestar 2
BY ROBBIE WALLIS | 1st Mar 2019
REBORN electric performance brand Polestar has revealed its second standalone model, the Polestar 2, which will spearhead the launch of the former Volvo performance arm in Australia next year.
Set for a public debut at the Geneva motor show next week, the Polestar 2 is the first full-electric model from the brand following the release of the plug-in hybrid Polestar 1 in October 2017, which mated a petrol engine and electric motor for a combined output of 447kW/1000Nm.
The Polestar 2 will act as a volume-selling model for the brand, taking the fight up to the likes of the Tesla Model 3 which is due to arrive in Australia this year.
Powered by two electric motors and a 27-module battery pack integrated into the vehicle floor, the all-wheel-drive Polestar 2 produces 300kW/660Nm, enabling a 0-100km/h sprint time of less than five seconds.
The 78kWh battery capacity allows for a targeted driving range of 500km, while the battery pack helps stabilise the chassis – based on Volvo’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform – and contribute to a claimed 3.7dB reduction in noise levels.
For charging, Polestar says it will provide customers with a “smart, convenient and extensive approach”, with connected digital solutions available in-car and on mobile devices.
Visually, the Polestar 2 features the same ‘Thor’s hammer’ LED headlights as its Volvo stablemates, along with a black grille and cladding around the lower bumpers and sills, a coupe-like rear roofline, an upwardly curving boot, frameless side mirrors, large alloy wheels and squared-off C-shaped tail-lights with an LED strip running across the width of the boot and connecting the two lights.
An optional Performance Pack will be made available, which includes Ohlins dampers, Brembo brakes and 20-inch forged alloy wheels, along with gold seatbelts, brake callipers and valve caps.
Inside, the Polestar 2 becomes one of the first cars in the world to feature an infotainment system developed by Android, according to the car-maker, and brings embedded Google services including Google Assistant, Google Maps, Google Play Store and a natural voice control.
The system is projected onto an 11.0-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen, which forms part of the entirely vegan interior.
Other interior features include a panoramic glass sunroof, seating for five, a quirky hollowed-out gear shifter and a digital instrument cluster.
Technology in the Polestar 2 will allow for ride-sharing capability, and connected services such as pick-up and delivery.
Pricing has been released for select global markets, but Australian pricing is yet to be confirmed.
The Polestar 2 will start to roll out in overseas markets this year, but an Australian arrival at this stage is earmarked for 2020.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said the initial Polestar models would herald a wider range of electric vehicles.
“Polestar 2 is our first fully electric car and first volume model,” he said. “Everything about it has been designed and engineered with passion and dedication.
“As an electric performance brand, and through the forthcoming launch of a portfolio of fully electric cars, Polestar is determined to address the world’s air quality challenges.”
Volvo Car Australia managing director Nick Connor, who was Polestar’s inaugural CEO, told GoAuto last year that the Polestar 2 will be followed by the Polestar 3 mid-size SUV due in 2022 and that the brand would tap into the growing market for premium sports-oriented electric vehicles.
“The products are compelling, they’re very attractive, they’re pure, premium performance cars, they’re a little bit different,” he said.
“It (sales volume) comes down ultimately, I think, to the infrastructure, to incentives. I mean, electric cars are, and will be for the foreseeable future, more expensive than their internal-combustion equivalents.
“But, that said, they offer fantastic performance, they’re clean, I think there’s an opportunity here. I would guess, in early days, it would probably be in the hundreds of units rather than in the thousands – but who knows?
“Certainly, it’s an offer that we need to have here and we’ll see what happens.”
