- Polestar 2 delivery delays
- Pixel LED light roadblock
- Delivery dates jump forward
- Performance boost
- Long term outlook
Polestar 2. Photo: Giles Parkinson.
Polestar is the latest electric vehicle maker to report it will have to reduce its production targets as a result of the global pandemic, which could result in delivery delays for Australian customers.
In a statement on Friday, the Volvo offshoot said will make 30% less vehicles in 2022, a cut that is “100% attributable” to lockdowns due to the pandemic in China.
The production cut comes just one day after Volvo said it had cancelled 166 orders for its 2022XC40 Pure Recharge in Australia.
The popular Polestar 2 is made at the same Geely/Volvo factory as the XC40 Recharge in Luqiao, China. The Lynk & Co 01, a disruptive EV brand aimed at a new generation of drivers via a subscription-based ownership model, is also made at the same factory.
Supply chain breakdowns caused by lockdowns and the war in Ukraine have been causing havoc in numerous industries. The EV industry is experiencing a significant bottleneck that is seeing carmakers remove parts, or as in the case of Polestar and Volvo, simply making less cars.
For Polestar, the chip supply crunch has resulted in 15,000 fewer vehicles rolling off the production line this year.
“Polestar has now announced a reduction to the number of customer vehicle sales that it will be able to deliver in 2022 from 65,000 to approximately 50,000,” the company said in a statement on Friday.
In 2021 the company delivered approximately 29,000 vehicles, and had planned to more than double its production in 2022.
Polestar 2 assembly line in Luqiao, China. Source: China
Polestar 2 delivery delays
But now, customers in Australia who ordered after Polestar’s order page went back online at the end of April could experience delivery delays later in the year.
Whether this happens will depend on Polestar’s ability to implement a second shift as soon as possible to make up for the shortfall later in 2022.
A spokesperson for Polestar Australia said: “It just depends how fast can we get them out of the country and to markets around the world.”
But the spokesperson also warned that new customer deliveries could be put back from November this year to 2023. “The situation is constantly evolving – we are waiting to determine whether our customers will be impacted,” they said.
An order of 65,000 vehicles that Polestar received from Hertz in April will place additional pressure on the EV maker to ramp production back up again.
David Gillespie and Polestar Australia CEO Samantha Johnson. Image courtesy David Gillespie
Pixel LED light roadblock
However, the industry at large faces numerous challenges, not least the “zero Covid” policy in China as well as a neon shortage due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a major producer of the element required to make semiconductors.
Because of this, there is still no progress on the return of pixel LED headlights. “We are working with suppliers to re-introduce them to the Pilot Pack,” the Polestar spokesperson said.
Polestar 2. Source: Polestar
Delivery dates jump forward
In contrast to the difficulties that await the 2023 Polestar 2, some customers that ordered a Polestar 2 before April are seeing their delivery dates forward several months.
This is because, Polestar’s spokesperson told The Driven, certain cars have been matched to the current production schedule. Not all customers will see their delivery dates brought forward, however.
No orders for the 2022 year model will be cancelled, as has been the case for the Volvo XC40. “It’s safe to say cancelling orders is not our intention and committed to getting cars to customers as soon as possible,” they said.
“Some cars have not yet been made but they are already pre-allocated, and should still be on track.”
Performance boost
Customers who have received a dual-motor Polestar 2 will this week receive a performance boost via a software upgrade.
Polestar says the over-the-air update will add 50kW power and 20Nm torque, boosting current specs to 350kW and 680Nm.
Acceleration is also boosted to 4.4 seconds from a standing start to 100km/hr, and to 2.2 seconds from 80km/hr to 120km/hr, says Polestar.
The performance boost is thanks to experimental work tested on a Polestar 2 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath. Source: Polestar
Long term outlook
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingelnath said he believes the current challenges will not affect the EV maker’s longer-term outlook.
In a statement on Friday, he said: “The fundamentals driving the growth in sales of electric cars remain in place and the momentum is stronger than the uncertainties we are witnessing right now.
“Any short- to medium-term economic effects have not dented our goal of selling 290,000 cars in 2025 – 10 times more than we sold in 2021.”
He believes the introduction of the Polestar 3 – which is tipped to arrive in Australia in early 2023 – will help it achieve this.
“We believe our future growth will be further accelerated by our entry into the lucrative SUV market later this year with the world premiere in October of the long-awaited Polestar 3 electric performance SUV,” said Ingelnath.
“Polestar 3, which will be manufactured in the US and China, will stand out amongst other SUV offerings and boost our strong growth trajectory to take us into our next phase.”
Polestar is preparing to list on the Nasdaq by the end of June via a “proposed business combination” with Gores Guggenheim, Inc.
Keyword: Polestar slashes production of 2023 Polestar 2 amid China lockdowns