The Polestar 3 is stepping out of the shadows as the company has released the first picture of a camouflaged prototype. The “premium electric performance SUV” follows in the footsteps of the Polestar 2, but adopts a more expressive front fascia with a slender grille and a prominent lower intake. We can also see distinctive Thor’s Hammer headlights and what appears to be triangular air curtains.
Continuing down the sides, the crossover
has streamlined bodywork and muscular rear haunches. They’re joined by a rakish
windscreen that flows into a sloping roof. Designers also gave the model a
sleek greenhouse and what appears to be pronounced side skirts.
Polestar didn’t say much about the model,
but CEO Thomas Ingenlath noted it will be built at Volvo’s plant in Charleston,
South Carolina as the company will “build in America for Americans.” He went on
to say the crossover will be launched next year, “define the look of SUVs in
the electric age,” and be “one of the most climate-responsible cars ever made.”
The Polestar 3 also promises to be high-tech as it will, in time, “offer
autonomous highway piloting powered by the best-in-class LiDAR sensor from
Luminar and centralized NVIDIA computing power.”
Little else is known about the model at
this point, but the crossover will be built alongside the next-generation Volvo
XC90 and the two models are expected to have a lot in common. However, in
previous interviews, Ingenlath stated the Polestar 3 will only have two-rows of
seating. The executive also said we can expect single and dual motor
powertrains. Polestar is slated to join the Nasdaq next year and Ingenlath
noted they’re not just another EV startup. As he explained, “We are not a
virtual company waiting to build factories and sell cars; we are an actual
company already building and selling cars around the world.”
Polestar models are available in 14
markets and the company expects to sell around 29,000 units this year. That
number is expected to increase to 290,000 units by 2025 as the company will
expand to at least 30 markets, by the end of 2023, and introduce a new car
every year for the next three years.