As controversial as its front-end styling might be, the new BMW iX is honestly one of the brand’s most impressive cars. The majority of its exterior design is great, its interior is the best BMW’s ever done, and it packs over 500 horsepower and 300 miles of range (in top-spec iX M50 guise). However, it already has some tough competition, with cars like the Tesla Model X, Audi e-tron, and, now, the upcoming 2022 Polestar 3.
Polestar’s latest car is going to be an SUV and the Swedish brand recently teased it with a official spy photo. From the camouflaged photo released by Polestar, the new 3 looks like it’s going to be a very handsome mid-size SUV. Its styling will obviously be similar to the Polestar 2, which is a handsome but funky looking little sedan. However, from the looks of this camouflaged photo, the Polestar 3 will likely be the best looking car of the lineup.
The Polestar 3 will be build on Volvo’s newest all-electric architecture and will likely get the same electric powertrains as the Polestar 2. Expect both single and dual-motor cars, with anywhere between 250-300 miles of range. According to Car and Driver, the Polestar 3 is expected to start at around $75,000, which puts it squarely in BMW iX territory. It’s also said to get some very advanced autonomous highway driving, using an all-new LiDAR sensor from Luminar and centralized NVIDIA computing power.
Interestingly, the 2022 Polestar 3 will not only go on sale next year but it will be manufactured right here in the ‘States. In fact, the 3 will be built in Charleston, South Carolina, close to BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina plant.
But it’s not going to stop at the Polestar 3. The Swedish electric brand plans on introducing a new EV every year for the next three years. In 2023, we’ll see the Polestar 4, which will be some sort of SUV Coupe and in 2024 the Polestar 5 will debut, which will be a full-sized luxury sedan to take on the BMW i7.
It seems as though Polestar is beginning to position itself as a major player in the premium EV market. The next Polestar 3 is going to give the BMW iX more real competition than people might expect from a new brand. I’ve driven the Polestar 2 briefly and if feels every bit as quality of an item as any BMW and is surprisingly fun to drive. If I were BMW, I’d take this new SUV very seriously.
Keyword: The 2022 Polestar 3 is Going to be an All-Electric iX-Fighter