Automotive

Polestar price-matches Tesla with its first fully-electric family sedan

Polestar price-matches Tesla with its first fully-electric family sedan
The Polestar 2 puts out 408 hp and 487 lb-ft
The Polestar 2 puts out 408 hp and 487 lb-ft 
View 16 Images
Inside the Polestar 2
1/16
Inside the Polestar 2
The tail lights of the Polestar 2 illuminate in a choreographed sequence as the owner approaches. A Polestar signature, of sorts
2/16
The tail lights of the Polestar 2 illuminate in a choreographed sequence as the owner approaches. A Polestar signature, of sorts
The Polestar 2 features a vegan interior
3/16
The Polestar 2 features a vegan interior
The tail lights of the Polestar 2 illuminate in a choreographed sequence as the owner approaches. A Polestar signature, of sorts
4/16
The tail lights of the Polestar 2 illuminate in a choreographed sequence as the owner approaches. A Polestar signature, of sorts
The cabin of the Polestar 2 is decked out in a vegan interior, a panoramic glass roof overhead and an 11-inch touchscreen
5/16
The cabin of the Polestar 2 is decked out in a vegan interior, a panoramic glass roof overhead and an 11-inch touchscreen
The Polestar 2 puts out 408 hp and 487 lb-ft
6/16
The Polestar 2 puts out 408 hp and 487 lb-ft 
Polestar plans to show off the Polestar 2 for the first time at the Geneva Auto Show next month
7/16
Polestar plans to show off the Polestar 2 for the first time at the Geneva Auto Show next month
The steering wheel and instrument cluster inside the Polestar 2
8/16
The steering wheel and instrument cluster inside the Polestar 2
Polestar has made no secret of its ambitions to take on the Tesla Model 3 with the Polestar 2
9/16
Polestar has made no secret of its ambitions to take on the Tesla Model 3 with the Polestar 2
The cabin of the Polestar 2 is decked out in a vegan interior, a panoramic glass roof overhead and an 11-inch touchscreen
10/16
The cabin of the Polestar 2 is decked out in a vegan interior, a panoramic glass roof overhead and an 11-inch touchscreen
The Polestar 2 has a range of 500 km
11/16
The Polestar 2 has a range of 500 km
The Polestar 2 is an all-wheel-drive electric sedan
12/16
The Polestar 2 is an all-wheel-drive electric sedan
The Polestar 2 has a range of 500 km
13/16
The Polestar 2 has a range of 500 km
The Swedish spinoff has still very much designed its Polestar 2 to thrill
14/16
The Swedish spinoff has still very much designed its Polestar 2 to thrill
Polestar has made no secret of its ambitions to take on the Tesla Model 3 with the Polestar 2
15/16
Polestar has made no secret of its ambitions to take on the Tesla Model 3 with the Polestar 2
Polestar plans to show off the Polestar 2 for the first time at the Geneva Auto Show next month
16/16
Polestar plans to show off the Polestar 2 for the first time at the Geneva Auto Show next month
View gallery - 16 images

Following the reveal of its debut hybrid GT back in 2017, Polestar has now unveiled a fully electric sedan it hopes will broaden the brand's appeal. But as the performance arm of Volvo the Swedish spinoff has still very much designed its Polestar 2 to thrill, with a sub-five second 0-100 km/h sprint and a range to make its rivals sweat.

Polestar has made no secret of its ambitions to take on the Tesla Model 3 – the best-selling luxury vehicle in the US last year – with the Polestar 2. Unveiled in Geneva overnight, the Polestar 2 follows in its predecessors footsteps by carrying over some of the design language previewed in 2016's Volvo 40.2 sedan concept.

But where the Polestar 1 squashed this down and stretched it out into a sporty and stylish coupe, the Polestar 2 bunches it up once again into something the family can pile into. The decidedly boxier five-door fastback is spearheaded by pixel LED headlamps up front, while Polestar's frameless mirrors feature on either side.

The Polestar 2 is an all-wheel-drive electric sedan
The Polestar 2 is an all-wheel-drive electric sedan

The 78 kWh battery is tucked away beneath the floor to maximize cabin space and lower the center of gravity. According to the company, it will allow for a range of up to 500 km (310 mi), which is right up there with the Tesla Model S and forthcoming Porsche Taycan.

Providing power to all wheels via twin electric motors, the Polestar 2 puts out 300 kW (408 hp) and 660 Nm (487 lb-ft) and will apparently hit 100 km/h in less than five seconds. An optional performance pack with Öhlins dampers, Brembo brakes and 20-inch forged wheels will give the driving experience a further boost.

Polestar has made no secret of its ambitions to take on the Tesla Model 3 with the Polestar 2
Polestar has made no secret of its ambitions to take on the Tesla Model 3 with the Polestar 2

The cabin is decked out in a vegan interior, a panoramic glass roof overhead and an 11-inch touchscreen, which will be home to the company's Android-based user interface (UI). As detailed last month, the Polestar 2 will be the first car to completely handover its interface to the Android OS, which means nice clean access to voice control through Google Assistant, Google Maps, Calendar, Hangouts and the Google Play Store so owners can load it up with whatever apps tickle their fancy.

Inside the Polestar 2
Inside the Polestar 2

They'll also be able to tune car settings such as steering feel, stability control, regenerative braking and forward creep control via the UI, while there appears to be a Space Invaders-like video game built in for downtime. The owner's phone will serve as their keys to the vehicle so it can sense them on approach, with tail lights illuminating in a choreographed sequence to welcome them aboard. A Polestar signature, of sorts.

These fun quirks aren't the only way Polestar will be looking to take Tesla to task. It has positioned the Polestar 2 to take on the popular Model 3 by pricing it at €39,900 as a starting point, which is around US$45,000 and currently right in the ball park of Tesla's first mass-market offering. But for the first 12 months of production it will focus on optioned pricier models with the guide price of the launch edition listed as €59,900 (US$68,00).

It plans to show off the Polestar 2 for the first time at the Geneva Auto Show next month, where New Atlas will be on the ground to sneak a peek. It says production will kick off in early 2020 for global markets, with initial launch markets including China, the US, Canada, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK.

You can check out a condensed version of the vehicle launch below.

Source: Polestar

Polestar 2 reveal | 2 min recap |

View gallery - 16 images
8 comments
8 comments
Bionic88
Not sure about the rims, but over all that's a good looking car. I think it's a direct competitor to the Model X.
kevin mccune
Again, an unaffordable sedan.
Tommo
Whilst I'm a big Tesla fan, we need more high quality, good looking 'normal' cars being made like this. It's what will drive the EV markets.
Sheesh, I'm a petrolhead too so I can't believe I'm saying all this!
Doodah
Nothing like a little competition to make things interesting. Though 45k isn't exactly what I would call 'affordable' (affordable typically applies to cars sub 30k, or even sub 25k) I love the general trend going on here, and the possibility of seeing decent electric cars being sold for under 25k seems quite real at this point, given the overal pricing trend and increase in tech evolution.
TonyB
Android? No thanks.
Smokey_Bear
Good looking car, but now Tesla's cheapest Model 3 is 10 grand cheaper...which means Tesla will sell waaaaaay more then Polestar.
YouAre
Model 3 is an established product, has better airdynamics, already sold in droves, spares you of seeing a dealer, and becomes cheaper by the day. Even if Volvo is assumed to be an equal brand to Tesla, 2020 might be too late to deprive Elon of his sleep. Good luck, Geely
KaiserPingo
In all aspects, a Chinese car...