Polestar reveals details to electric SUV Polestar 3

Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath revealed new information about the Polestar 3 at the IAA Mobility. The brand wants to offer the electric SUV with one as well as two drives. Ingenlath also gave new details about the interior.

The electric SUV, which will reportedly go into production in 2022, will only be offered with two rows of seats, as Ingenlath stated in a conversation with the portal Car and Driver. Although the vehicle will be built in the USA, more precisely at Volvo’s Ridgeville plant in South Carolina, Polestar will therefore not offer a third row of seats often requested by US customers.

This is probably also due to another feature of the Polestar 3’s design concept that Ingenlath revealed: the Polestar 3, previously also announced as a “performance e-SUV”, is to be a crossover with a sloping roofline. Passengers in the third row would probably run out of headroom.

This decision has apparently also been made against the background of the next-generation Volvo XC90, which is also to be built in Ridgeville – also as a BEV. “I have nothing against three rows per se,” Ingenlath is quoted as saying. “But then you would ask what the difference is to the XC90. The two rows give the opportunity to give the car that aerodynamic roofline, there’s the opportunity to emphasise the space between the first and second row, which really gives the second row a luxurious feel.”

Single- and twin-drive versions are planned, he said, as with the Polestar 2. However, these are likely to be different from the electric saloon’s 165-300kW powertrain options: the Polestar 2 is based on the CMA platform, while the Polestar 3 will be based on a “new generation of Volvo Car Group electric vehicle architecture”, i.e. the successor to the current SPA platform. According to Ingenlath, the Polestar 3 – also as a differentiation to the XC90 – will have a powertrain with a “top power position unique to Polestar”.

The Polestar 3 is expected to help boost the brand’s total production to over 100,000 cars – even if the Polestar 2 remains the volume model. Polestar also plans to develop a production version of its Precept sedan concept.

A key role in the development of the Precept will be played by Polestar’s UK R&D team, which is expected to grow to over 500 people. This would double the engineering capacity in the UK, according to Polestar. The development centre is located at MIRA Technology Park in the Midlands. “Precept is a statement of intent for the brand in terms of design, technology and sustainability,” says Pete Allen, Head of Polestar UK R&D. “The production car will take an important step on the journey towards climate neutrality, and ours will be the team that delivers that.”

Polestar also announced two key personnel appointments a few days ago: Johan Malmqvist was appointed Chief Financial Officer and Jörg Brandscheid Chief Technology Officer. Malmqvist has not previously been active in the automotive sector, moving to Polestar from Dole Food. He replaces Ian Zhang, who will join the Polestar management team to focus on activities in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the announcement.

Brandscheid, the new head of development, joins Polestar from Hella APAC, where he was executive vice president of electronics. The current CTO, Hans Pehrson, will lead the “Polestar 0 Project” within Polestar – the brand’s goal of creating a carbon-neutral car by 2030.

“Investing heavily in our technical competence especially in software development will boost our position and raise our profile as an EV company,” Ingenlath says of the new additions. “Jörg will grow our R&D capacity and capabilities, increasing our core competencies in software and electric vehicle technology. Johan’s business-oriented approach will be invaluable as we accelerate our growth and operations.”

caranddriver.com (Polestar 3), polestar.com (R&D centre), polestar.com (staff)