Polestar’s bright new hope revealed

A new Polestar shines. The second of two SUVs due in two years from the electric-focused Swedish brand will be this coupe-esque Macan rival. By Tim Pollard.

Future scoop / Insider

1 GROWING FAMILY

Polestar’s badging makes it easy to guess what the next model will be called. And now we know what shape it’ll be: the boss has confirmed to CAR that next year’s 3, a large SUV, will be joined in 2023 by a smaller e-crossover called the 4, likely to take design cues from the Precept concept (pictured).

2 A SLEEKER KIND OF SUV

The Polestar 4’s lower roofline is clearly visible in a set of teaser images revealed by Polestar. Think BMW X4 (pictured) in its overall shape – though we hope it’s prettier than Munich’s offering. It’ll give Polestar a second foothold in the lucrative premium electric SUV space.

3 SHARPENED GEELY TECH

Geely Auto Group’s pure-electric PMA architecture is the base, and the 4 will be built at the Chinese parent firm’s Hangzhou Bay factory. Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath promises ‘different shapes and silhouettes, different interiors… and with Polestar drivetrains, which makes them very, very powerful.’ Expect the 4 to become Polestar’s top seller by mid-decade.

4 TARGET: MACAN

The next two products from Volvo’s upmarket electriccar spin-off are both Porsche-rivalling SUVs: the Polestar 3 is a Cayennesized (and priced) behemoth pinching hardware from the next Volvo XC90, while the smaller Polestar 4 is aimed at the next version of the Macan (pictured), itself transforming into an electric SUV.

Thomas Ingenlath CEO, Polestar

‘We have a second SUV in our pipeline, which is slightly smaller, slightly more groundhugging – a bit more of the coupe-type roofline. It really brings the greatness of the brand to a segment and will, eventually, start at around €55,000 [circa £47k], where we want to reach at some point in time.’

Factfile

• POWERTRAIN 78kWh battery, all-wheel drive, 373-mile range
• CHASSIS Steel monocoque
• DUE 2023