'Not just a rebranded Volvo': How the 2023 Polestar 3 and Polestar 2024 GT 5 will reshape the Swedish performance and design scenario

Polestar explains that future models will see them move further from their Volvo parent when it comes to design and performance.

Speaking to Australian media at the local launch of the Polestar 2 crossover, Polestar executives detailed how the new electric-only brand will only drift away from its parent company Volvo as future models are released.

While Polestar will continue to share its platforms and most of its electric powertrains with its parent company Volvo, the brand's design language will evolve into something unique.

“The next SUV will not be a rebadged Volvo XC90,” explained Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath, referring to the Polestar 3 SUV, which is expected to be unveiled sometime in 2022.

“It will have the same wheelbase and many of its proportions as the XC90, but the product we will place on top of that platform will be a very specific aerodynamic SUV – think of a Porsche Cayenne customer.”

The Porsche comparison continued: “The production version of the Precept concept [expected to be the Polestar 5] is not a fastback limousine. Its proportions result in a more accurate comparison to a Porsche Panamera than to a car like the Volvo S90. We need a comparison so people understand what it's going to be like."

“When we created Polestar, it was clear there was more than one story to tell with Scandinavian design; Volvo and Polestar will be different."

Mr. Ingenlath, originally a designer himself, even pointed to Saab as a historic Scandinavian player who once brought unique design to the automotive world, in support of the idea that there can be two distinct personalities in Swedish car design.

He also hinted that many of the signature elements of the recent Polestar GT concept will be incorporated into future production models.

The Precept, a four-door GT concept unveiled in February 2020, is larger than the Polestar 2 and showcases new design cues, especially in its front end and tail, which move away from elements the 2 shares with its Volvo cousins.

Mr. Ingenlath hinted that many elements of the GT Precept concept will be included in future models of the new brand.

Particularly striking are the split headlight profile, the removal of the grille, the new steering wheel and the floating consoles front and rear.

Like its Tesla counterpart, the Precept features a much larger 15-inch touchscreen in portrait mode, and the brand promises the production version will be built on "a close collaboration with Google."

The interior is largely made from recycled and sustainable materials, such as cladding made from recycled PET bottles, recycled fishing nets, and recycled cork. Like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Precept has flax-based composites used for materials both inside and outside the car.

Speaking about how future models will define the difference between Polestar and sister brand Volvo, Mr. Ingenlath said: “Everyone knows Volvo as a comfortable, family friendly and safe brand.

“We never wanted to build a controversial sports car like the Precept, so it became clear that if we wanted to go in that direction, we needed to build the Polestar.

“Volvo for the family; human-centered, all-encompassing. Polestar is more individualistic, sporty. You will immediately feel the difference between these two [Volvo and Polestar] in the way they drive.”

The Precept features many new design elements not yet seen on the brand's first mass-market model, the Polestar 2.

The production version of this concept is expected to be the flagship Polestar 5 due in 2024 and joining the large SUV Polestar 3 due in 2022. The latter will be followed by the smaller mid-size Polestar 4 SUV, with a deadline of 2023.

The new platform that will underpin future Volvo and Polestar vehicles (dubbed SPA2) will debut with the Polestar 3, and a high-end powertrain is being developed specifically for Polestar to help cement its promise of performance.

The engine, dubbed the "P10", will be able to deliver up to 450kW in a single-engine layout or 650kW in a twin-engine, all-wheel-drive layout (promising higher performance than similar engines from Porsche and Tesla). equipped with a new two-speed transmission, according to an investor white paper.

The Precept concept hints at a new steering element and a more paired rear fascia design.

Like its competitors, the new generation architecture will also move to 800V and feature bi-directional charging, which is not currently available on the Polestar 2. All future Polestar models are planned to have WLTP range north of 600km.

The Polestar 2 will be available online only and buyers will be able to place orders in January 2022 for deliveries in February.