Polestar has come a long way since its Flash Engineering days in the Swedish Touring Car Championship. The company intertwined with Volvo in 2009, only to be purchased by the Swedish automaker in 2015. Two years later, Polestar would become a standalone brand focused on EVs.
The Sino-Swedish automaker started production of the 1 plug-in hybrid grand tourer in 2019, followed by the 2 battery-electric liftback in 2020. Production of the 1 has already ceased, leaving the 2 to soldier on alone.
Polestar, however, will change that in October 2022 with the debut of the 3 utility vehicle that will be assembled in the United States. The company has invested $118 million in the Ridgeville assembly plant in preparation for the 3, which is underpinned by the Scalable Product Architecture 2. Based on the Scalable Product Architecture currently used by Volvo, the SPA2 will be shared with the successor of the XC90, which is dubbed Embla.
Chief executive officer Thomas Ingenlath has recently made it clear the 3 won’t be within the reach of many. During the Automotive News Europe Congress, the big kahuna let it slip that €75,000 will be the starting price of the all-new SUV, which means $75,425 at current exchange rates. At the other end of the spectrum, the all-new 3 will top €110,000 or $110,620.
“It's an SUV, which everyone loves, but it's also very aerodynamic and very engaging to drive," said Ingenlath. "It's not a car to drive to the kindergarten,” he added rather mistakenly. The kindergarten drop-off area is full of SUVs in pretty much every western country, even in Europe. MPVs, minivans, and station wagons are very passé in this part of the world, and even more so in the United States of America where utility vehicles duke it out with pickup trucks for the top spot in consumer preferences.
Going forward, Polestar will present a coupe-styled take on the 3 under the 4 nameplate. This one’s due in 2023, most likely as a 2024 model. Later on, the Precept concept will morph into the 5 four-door grand tourer. Expected to arrive during calendar year 2024, the flagship has already been previewed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed with an 800-volt architecture, 871 horsepower, and 664 pound-feet (900 Nm) of tire-shredding torque.
Polestar, however, will change that in October 2022 with the debut of the 3 utility vehicle that will be assembled in the United States. The company has invested $118 million in the Ridgeville assembly plant in preparation for the 3, which is underpinned by the Scalable Product Architecture 2. Based on the Scalable Product Architecture currently used by Volvo, the SPA2 will be shared with the successor of the XC90, which is dubbed Embla.
Chief executive officer Thomas Ingenlath has recently made it clear the 3 won’t be within the reach of many. During the Automotive News Europe Congress, the big kahuna let it slip that €75,000 will be the starting price of the all-new SUV, which means $75,425 at current exchange rates. At the other end of the spectrum, the all-new 3 will top €110,000 or $110,620.
“It's an SUV, which everyone loves, but it's also very aerodynamic and very engaging to drive," said Ingenlath. "It's not a car to drive to the kindergarten,” he added rather mistakenly. The kindergarten drop-off area is full of SUVs in pretty much every western country, even in Europe. MPVs, minivans, and station wagons are very passé in this part of the world, and even more so in the United States of America where utility vehicles duke it out with pickup trucks for the top spot in consumer preferences.
Going forward, Polestar will present a coupe-styled take on the 3 under the 4 nameplate. This one’s due in 2023, most likely as a 2024 model. Later on, the Precept concept will morph into the 5 four-door grand tourer. Expected to arrive during calendar year 2024, the flagship has already been previewed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed with an 800-volt architecture, 871 horsepower, and 664 pound-feet (900 Nm) of tire-shredding torque.