Polestar released the first photo of a fully uncamouflaged Polestar 3, which is set to debut in October 2022 as the automaker’s first SUV. The fully electric model will share its underpinnings with the next generation of the Volvo XC90, although with a more premium market positioning. This is the first time we see the Polestar 3 in the flesh since the automaker had only shown us a photo of a camouflaged prototype last year. The upcoming SUV’s styling adopts clean surfacing, pronounced rear shoulders, and an aerodynamic roofline.
The front end gets Polestar’s new LED
headlights with vents on the bonnet and triangular bumper intakes. Compared to
the 2021 Volvo Recharge Concept, the Polestar 3 has a sportier stance, with a
more stylish rear end. Polestar’s first SUV will be fitted with dual electric
motors offering all-wheel-drive and high power output. Thomas Ingenlath,
Polestar CEO, hinted at the vehicle’s performance by saying: “With this car, we
bring the ‘sport’ back to the SUV, staying true to our performance roots”. Last
September, Ingenlath talked about a “top power position that is unique to
Polestar”, which means that the Polestar 3 will be more powerful than the Volvo
XC90 sibling.
The large battery will allow a targeted
range of over 600 km in the WLTP cycle. The Polestar 3 will
eventually offer autonomous highway piloting, thanks to a LiDAR sensor from
Luminar and centralized NVIDIA computing power. The company said that it will
start accepting orders for the Polestar 3 in initial launch markets from the
day of the premiere. The model will be produced in the United States and in
China, with production scheduled to start in early 2023. North America is a
major market for the Polestar 3, with the large SUV segment showing great signs
of growth while allowing the automakers to benefit from high-profit margins.
Polestar will expand to at least 30 global
markets by the end of 2023 and plans on launching a new EV every year for the
next three years. These include the Polestar 3 SUV, the Polestar 4 coupe-style
crossover, and the Polestar 5 grand tourer, all of which have already been
confirmed. The company hopes to ten-fold increase its global sales from 29,000
in 2021, to 290,000 by the end of 2025.
