A year after the Polestar One supercar, Volvo and Geely’ Polestar EV brand has released its more affordable Polestar 2 “all-electric fastback.” As stated explicitly in the press release, the model is meant to take on Tesla’s Model 3. A more expensive launch edition will start at $63,000 before the federal tax incentive.
The Polestar 2 will produce 408hp and 487lb-ft of torque and accelerate from 0-60mph in “less than five seconds.” It’s aiming for an EPA range of 275 miles. Compared to the Model 3, it would have less horsepower but more torque than the performance version. The range (275mi to 308 mi) would be more than adequate but less than the Tesla. Price would be about level. Polestar 2 production, backed by established manufacturers, may be less problematic.
Polestar will have an Android backbone infotainment system instead of a proprietary one. Bravo on that front. It will also employ “Phone-as-Key” technology to enable a variety of uses. Polestar will not rival Tesla on touchscreen size. The unit will be a mere 11 inches.
Buying will happen online with “Polestar Spaces” available for views and test drives. Polestar plans to offer the vehicle in a subscription service, presumably similar to Care by Volvo.
The Polestar 2 configurator is live online. There are six different paint options: snow, magnesium, thunder, moon, midnight, and void. Midnight, a sort of grey-blue, is the closest thing to a color. Seatbelts come standard in Gold.
Aesthetically speaking, the Polestar 2 has a simple, fetching Swedish aesthetic. But, it’s clean and well-proportioned. While other manufacturers have tussled with how to make a grille-free car look normal, Volvo and Geely just cut the Gordian knot and added a faux one. It looks like a car. The Polestar 2 will still give you a kiss of eccentric LED lighting. How would one know it is powered by pure electricity without it?