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Polestar 4 Rendering Is the Swedish Answer to Tesla's Unborn Hatchback

It's "not a day without a Polestar rendering" at autoevolution, it seems. Three days in a row and counting, which has us wondering what it is about the young Swedish carmaker that has piqued seemingly every designer's imagination?
Polestar 4 rendering 8 photos
Photo: Timothee Seban via Behance
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Well, maybe it's just that: Polestar is such a budding brand that it hasn't yet an established visual identity, other than the fact it's modern and Scandinavian - whatever that actually means. That leaves everyone a lot of wiggle room, and for an automotive designer, that's like the ultimate prize.

It's precisely these rigorous brand and model identity demands that lead to results such as the new BMW 4 Series' grille - a desperate need to change something to what is otherwise a largely predictable design. Put too many restrictions on a creative person and, sooner or later, a valve will blow and, if the board fails to spot it, you'll get accidents like the one we've just mentioned.

Independent designers, on the other hand, are exempt from any of this, which is why you can so easily come across true gems when browsing the Internet. Timothée Seban's Polestar 4 rendering may not be the best looking hatchback you've ever seen, but it's good enough to be considered an excellent addition to Polestar's range, particularly given Tesla's declared intention to take over Europe with a similar model.

Nobody really knows what to expect from Tesla's hatch, or indeed whether it's going to be the $25,000 model Musk announced during last month's Battery Day, yet given the company's record, we can all at least presume it'll be pretty quick. That's probably why Timothée's Polestar 4 was also conceived as a "performance hatch".

There's no point in mentioning entirely speculative performance figures, and Timothée seems to agree as he ignores that side of his project. Instead, he focuses on other aspects such as the semi-transparent hood that leaves part of the powertrain exposed for everyone to see. The Polestar 4 also gets rear-hinged hexagonal-shaped doors made completely out of glass, mimicking the roof.

According to Timothée, the Polestar 4 has a 2+2 seating layout, but we all know what that usually means: it's a two-seater with two more emergency seats that can only be used by children and short persons over very limited distances. The hatchback's shape seems to confirm that is the case. A few extra inches in its wheelbase, however, and maybe a second side window would take care of the problem without messing with the visuals too much.

The front end clearly reminds of the Polestar Precept concept, and Timothée makes no secret out of it by including the model in his mood board. Speaking of that, he also has a Lancia Delta Integrale there, as well as the Isetta microcar, probably the weirdest model in BMW's history. A strange mélange, but you can kind of see where each of these three left its mark: the Precept on the front end and the overall feel of the vehicle, the Delta Integrale in its presumed performance, and the Isetta... mostly in the way the doors open.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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