Polestar 3: due in 2022 as a Porsche Cayenne EV rival
The Polestar 3 is one of three new EV models due by 2025
Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO
► New electric Polestar 3 SUV► Cayenne rival, priced around £65k
► Polestar confirms 2023 production
Polestar is revealing more and more of its next model, the 3. Labelled as an aerodynamic SUV or electric performance SUV, it’s going to be the largest model yet from the outfit when it’s released in October 2022. The 3 will be manufactured in the US and China, and production will begin in early 2023. To be more specific, the 3 SUV will be built at Volvo’s factory in Ridgeville, South Carolina.
‘Polestar 3 is the SUV for the electric age. Our design identity evolves with this high-end large luxury EV, with a strong, individual brand character,’ said Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO. ‘With this car, we bring the ‘sport’ back to the SUV, staying true to our performance roots.’
Are we only on 3?
Polestar already has a thoroughly honed aesthetic, but this is only the third production car we’ve seen from the Geely-owned brand: The all-electric SUV follows the hybrid-powered 1, and the more on-brand 2, but there’s been a handful concepts shown between now and then. The Precept – soon to become the Polestar 4 – laid the design groundwork for the brands upcoming EV, and we’ve also had a open-topped version shown too.
What does it look like?
This is the first time we’ve had a proper look at the 3, and it seems to be a natural progression of the Polestar design story. What we can see of the front looks a little like the Precept and Polestar 2, and features aerodynamic flow conditioners ahead of the bonnet. Like the Precept, the 3 features a more extreme interpretation of Volvo’s ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlights, and there’s an addition, separate light on either side.
From the angle provided, it’s also clear to see the rear of the new SUV takes some inspiration from the all-electric Volvo C40. This car is much bigger, though.
CEO Thomas Ingenlath told CAR magazine it would compete against cars like the Porsche Cayenne in the €75,000 (£65,000) price bracket with a footprint matching that of the next-generation Volvo XC90, its sister car.
What about tech?
The 3 will eventually features autonomous capability, powered by LIDAR sensors and an NVIDIA chipset. It’ll ship with a dual-motor powertrain at launch, with a range target of 360-miles WLTP.
Polestar has also confirmed that the new 3 will also use Google’s Android Automotive OS, as expected, which will ‘feature industry-leading connectivity features.’
Continued growth
Polestar is just the latest brand to target the highly popular – and profitable – electric SUV sector, and the 3 will therefore be instrumental in taking the brand to a new level. It won’t do it alone, though; Polestar aims to release a newmodel every year until 2025, as it looks to stamp each sector of the electric market with a new number.
Earlier this year, Polestar announced plans to float on the Nasdaq stock exchange, in a deal that values the Swedish firm at around $20 billion. The funding raised will help finance the next three models waiting in the wings, as it aims to increase annual production tenfold from 29,000 forecast for 2021 to 290,000 by 2025.
Stay tuned for more details.
Keyword: Polestar 3: electric performance SUV finally revealed