Electric cars are on the rise and are allowing new brands to enter the automotive world. Brands like Tesla, Rivian and Lucid Air have all emerged in recent years to take advantage of this seismic shift in the way cars are built and what people will buy.
Established car companies aren’t missing this opportunity, though, creating spin-off and sub-brands to appeal to buyers looking for something new, fresh and original.
One of these brands is Polestar, which is part of the Geely automotive group that controls Volvo and Lotus. Polestar electric vehicles are set to become a common sight in the years to come, so here’s a guide to where the brand has come from, where it is today and where it’s headed in the future.
Where did Polestar come from? Has it always been exclusively electric vehicles?
As unlikely as it may seem, Polestar originates in Swedish touring car racing. It was the name of the team that ran Volvo’s factory-backed team and eventually evolved to build limited edition performance road cars; the S60 Polestar was the brand’s first project available in Australia.
It was successful enough for it to evolve into Polestar Engineered, which made variants of several models in the range.
But under Geely’s ownership it decided to turn Polestar into an electric-focused, performance-orientated brand, announcing the plan in 2017 and launching its first bespoke model - the Polestar 1 - in 2018. It was a plug-in hybrid performance coupe that made 447kW/1000Nm and harked back to the iconic Volvo P1880 with its looks.
We never got the Polestar 1 in Australia because it was built in left-hand drive only, but the brand launched locally with the Polestar 2 in late 2021.
Who owns Polestar?
Who owns Polestar electric cars is an interesting question to answer because the brand was part of Volvo, which in-turn became part of the Geely Group in 2010. But Geely took Polestar public in June 2022, trading on the Nasdaq.
The brand launched locally with the Polestar 2 in late 2021.
Who makes Polestar cars?
While its roots are Swedish, thanks to its Chinese ownership and US aspirations the brand has plans to build the Polestar 2 and other models in both China and the USA. Currently the Polestar 2 is manufactured at the Luqiao Planty in China, alongside the Volvo XC40 (with which it shares its underpinnings).
What is the current Polestar line-up?
Polestar Australia currently only offers a single model - the Polestar 2 - but has plans for rapid growth in the coming years.
The Polestar 2 range begins at $63,900 for the Standard Range, single-motor variant; steps up to $68,400 for the Long Range, single-motor model; and the line-up is topped by the Long Range, dual-motor variant for $73,400.
Polestar Australia currently only offers a single model - the Polestar 2.
The single motor variants offer 170kW/330Nm with the standard driving range of 470km and the long range bumping that figure to 540km. The dual motor boots performance to 300kW/660Nm and has a range of 480km.
The brand recently revealed the Polestar 3, a large SUV that shares its underpinnings with the upcoming Volvo EX90 and will compete against the likes of the Tesla Model X, BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQE. It will be on sale in Australia in the early months of 2023 and will be built in China and the USA.
Final specifications haven’t been revealed yet but reports indicate it will have 450kW with a single motor and 650kW with a dual-motor, with a new 800-volt electrical system capable of bi-directional charging and a range of over 600km.
Are all models available in Australia?
Yes, Polestar has confirmed that every model already announced will be available in Australia. The brand has made it clear that this is a key market in the Asia-Pacific region and will ensure all models will be available to local customers.
This includes the Polestar 6 LA Concept which is limited to just 500 examples around the world, but a small number are confirmed for Australia.
What has Polestar said publicly about their commitment to EVs?
Polestar hasn’t just committed to building only electric cars but has openly called for a ban on internal combustion vehicles.
Speaking ahead of the Climate Week NYC and European Mobility Week in September 2022, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said: “With just 1.5 percent of the vehicles on the road being electric today, it is clear we are living in an EV bubble, not an EV boom.
Polestar has committed to building only electric cars. (Image: Tom White)
"This decade is the most critical we have ever faced when it comes to not overshooting the Paris agreement. We need governments to lead the charge with robust policies, both on infrastructure and addressing electricity prices so that drivers can confidently go electric, but more importantly, car makers must act now and not wait for policy changes.”
Beyond that, Polestar has also publicly vowed to undertake life cycle assessments of all of its vehicles to ensure the company reduces its carbon footprint as much as possible. That will mean studying how to reduce emissions in sourcing the raw materials, the production process, distribution as well as the vehicle’s use and end of life.
The company has set itself the goal to build the world’s first truly carbon-neutral production car by 2030 under the Polestar 0 Project title.
What Polestar models are coming in the future?
The Polestar 4 is the brand’s next planned model. It will be a smaller performance SUV coupe that will be revealed in Europe in 2023 and should make Australian shores by 2024.
Following the Polestar 4, with a 2024 European reveal and likely ‘25 on-sale date in Australia, will be the Polestar 5.
The O2 concept was revealed at the 2021 Los Angeles Motor Show.
The final confirmed model for the brand’s future will be the (you guessed it) Polestar 6. This will be a two-door sports car inspired by the O2 concept that was revealed at the 2021 Los Angeles Motor Show.
While there are no confirmed specifications for either of the PS5 or PS6 yet, notably, there will be the first bespoke models for the brand; unlike the Polestar 2, 3 and 4 which all be based on shared platforms with Volvo.
What will change with the Polestar brand in the future?
In Australia there are still a lot of plans for the brand to roll-out as its model line-up expands, including the introduction of ‘Polestar Spaces’ retail outlets.
Currently you can only buy a Polestar in Australia directly through Polestar’s website, but with the introduction of the Spaces there will be shops you can visit to see the cars and speak to a brand representative.
The first of these Polestar Spaces is confirmed to open in Melbourne’s Chadstone shopping centre sometime over the summer.
In Australia there are still a lot of plans for the brand to roll-out as its model line-up expands. (Image: Tom White)
Currently if you buy a car it is ordered online and then given to the customer at a Polestar Test Drive and Handover Hub, of which there are several bespoke outlets in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and shared spaces with Volvo in other states.
Taking a Polestar test drive in Australia is also handled online, with interested customers only needing to book in a time and visit the Hub to sample the car.
If you need to, there is Polestar finance available in Australia through the brand’s own financial services options.
As for infrastructure there are no specific Polestar charging stations in Australia, but the company has a range of recommended home charging units.
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