The electric future of the high-performance Polestar looks — and promising

Last week, I attended Polestar Day, a huge event organized by the Geely-owned Swedish brand at a Santa Monica Airport hangar.

The Volvo subsidiary invited hundreds of media, investors and owners to experience the latest products and upcoming models and learn about a range of new technology innovations and partnerships announced at the event.

This was the media’s first opportunity to ride the Polestar 3, Porsche’s Cayenne combat SUV that will be built in South Carolina and go on sale in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2024. I rode a fully loaded 3 with the optional Performance Package, That increases power to 517 horsepower, has torque vectoring software tuning and all-wheel drive, and adds unique chassis tuning and 22-inch wheels with high-performance tires.

On a short 15-minute ride around Santa Monica, all three were impressive. The standard four-corner air suspension provides a comfortable ride, and the cabin is quiet and quiet. My driver took it out of two corners, holding the car quickly and exiting the corner without any adverse body movements or powertrain lag. The 3’s interior is a real treat, and it certainly matches its $85,300 starting price, with plenty of space and a nice mix of cutting-edge sustainable materials and easy-to-use technology.

The 3 will be the first Polestar with bi-directional charging capabilities, and Polestar has announced a collaboration with the California Energy Commission (along with other authorities in the US and Sweden) to create an implementation plan for on-grid vehicle services.

Polestar is developing a virtual power plant (VPP) that connects participating cars to the grid and each other, calculating when to charge or discharge from the grid based on best power usage, battery health, grid demand, and owner monetization. All owners have to do is plug in their car, and Polestar’s VPP technology takes care of the rest.

The event also marks the first time the new Polestar 4 has been showcased outside of China following its debut at the Shanghai Motor Show earlier this year. It’s a crossover coupe that splits the difference between the compact and midsize segments, and will have a starting price of around $60,000 when it goes on sale later in 2024. The most headline-grabbing feature is the Polestar 4’s lack of a rear window, which you can learn more about in My riding feature.

Some new news surrounding the Model 4 has been revealed. While the crossover will enter production in China at the end of this year, starting in mid-2025, it will also be produced in South Korea for the US and European markets through a partnership. With Renault Korea Motors, which will help the four countries evade the 25 percent import tariff on cars made in China. It was also announced that the 4 will be the first production car to have Mobileye Chauffeur self-driving technology thanks to the use of Luminar’s next-generation lidar setup, which will be an option. Ahead of Polestar Day, the brand announced that the Model 4 will have the lowest carbon footprint of any Polestar to date.

We’ve been getting information about the Polestar 5 since it was first revealed in 2020 as the Precept concept, and Polestar Day was the first time the brand showed off the design of the production car without any camouflage or ornamentation of the concept. It’s an absolutely stunning fastback sedan with dramatic proportions that’s similar in size to the Porsche Panamera, and like the Polestar 4, it lacks a rear window.

Sitting next to the design model was a fully functioning camouflaged prototype of the Model 5, which also had a full interior. We know the Model 5 will offer up to 884bhp and 664lb-ft in top dual-motor spec, and there will also be rear-drive versions with less power. The 5 will be built on a supercar-like aluminum platform that is being developed at its own facility in England.

Polestar also announced a new partnership with StoreDot to provide ultra-fast charging for the Polestar 5. Using StoreDot’s XFC cellular charging technology, the Polestar 5 will be able to get 100 miles of range in just five minutes of charging. This will not require any changes or developments in the battery pack design, as it can be integrated into already available battery packs. The Polestar 5 will have a 103 kWh battery with an 800-volt architecture, with a targeted range of more than 300 miles.

First shown last spring as an O2 concept, the Polestar 6 will be the brand’s flagship model, taking the form of a two-door sports car with a convertible top. When the Polestar 6 goes on sale in 2026, it will use the same architecture and drivetrains as the 5, with the brand targeting a top speed of 155mph and a 3.1-second zero-to-60mph time. The initial run of 500 cars will be the so-called LA Concept Edition, with a starting price of $200,000, although later versions should eventually be cheaper.

While the model shown at Polestar Day was still the concept car, at the end of the show, two images appeared on the screen showing the production version of the 6 in what appeared to be a track-oriented trim level. The overall design remains very close to the concept, with minor modifications to elements such as the lights and roof structure, and the car in the images has large air intakes, ventilated fenders, a large rear spoiler, and aggressive splitters. No details were provided, but it shows that Polestar is serious about maintaining its racing heritage and performance pedigree.

A few months ago, Polestar hit a major milestone when it surpassed 150,000 deliveries of the Polestar 2, the only model it currently sells. (The Polestar 1 was a limited-run hybrid coupe that is no longer in production.) The 2 model has been recently updated with upgraded engines and new features, but it still covers only a small section of the growing electric vehicle market.

The introduction of these new models and technologies will be a boon for the design-forward brand, which is quickly becoming one of the most exciting new automakers to watch.