Swedish EV brand Polestar’s first SUV will debut next-generation infotainment technology and be prepped for autonomous driving when it arrives in the first quarter of 2024 priced from $135K.
Fledgling European EV brand Polestar’s plans to overtake Tesla took another step today with the official unveiling of its first SUV, the Polestar 3.
As the name suggests, the Polestar 3 is the third model from Volvo’s all-EV offshoot, following the Polestar 2 EV crossover sedan launched globally in 2021 and the Polestar 1 hybrid sports coupe from 2019.
The Polestar 3 is a sportier five-seat sibling to the upcoming Volvo EX90, the electric successor to today’s Volvo XC90 seven-seat family SUV. The Polestar 3 shares the SPA2 EV platform and some of its software systems with the upcoming EX90 that will be unveiled on November 9 ahead of a 2023 European launch.
In Germany, the Polestar 3 will range will start from E89,990 (A$139,530) in Long-Range Dual-Motor form. Australian pricing will be confirmed closer to the Polestar 3’s arrival, but Polestar Australia is targeting a $135,000 start for the Long Range Dual Motor base model.
That price would put it on par with the BMW iX 40 electric SUV ($135,900) and is $12,000 less than the Audi e-Tron 55 quattro ($147,323). The cheaper Audi E-Tron 50 quattro ($138,323) was dropped from sale in June 2022 due to lack of demand.
Rumours that a cheaper single-motor Polestar 3 will join the range a year or two after launch appear to have weight, with Polestar Australia managing director Samantha Johnson saying, “We are going to look at different drivetrains in the future.
“The launch [strategy] is to go [with a] fully specced [offering], and the option of performance. But we will look at bringing in other variants in the future”.
Johnson says the Polestar 3 luxury SUV is an important step on the journey for the nascent Polestar brand, but it won’t be a volume seller.
“I think the probably the Polestar 2 and the Polestar 4 will be the high-selling models, being a medium SUV and a crossover. But there has been very strong demand … for the Polestar 3.”
The Polestar 3 will be built at the company’s Chengdu, China, facility from the middle of 2023, with the European rollout starting in the fourth quarter. Australian deliveries of Polestar’s BMW iX and Audi e-Tron SUV competitor will commence in the first quarter of 2024.
The Polestar 3 is the brand’s first SUV. It debuts Polestar’s Scandinavian minimalism design language that will also feature on the Polestar 4 medium SUV due in 2023. A Polestar 5 four-door GT based on the Precept concept has also been announced for 2024, and a Polestar 6 roadster based on the Polestar O2 concept has also been confirmed.
The Polestar 3 large SUV runs on a 400V electrical architecture that is expected to be shared by the forthcoming Polestar 4. For the 5 GT and 6 Roadster, however, Polestar is working in collaboration with Volvo and another Geely-owned brand, Lotus, to develop an 800V architecture to allow greater power and reduced charging times.
Measuring 4900mm in length, 1627mm high and 2120mm wide, the Polestar 3 is not as long as the current Volvo XC90 (-53mm), and is 149mm shorter in height yet 1612mm wider.
In comparison to the BMW iX 40 electric SUV, the Polestar 3 is shorter in both length (-53mm) and height (-68mm), yet is 153mm wider.
The Polestar 3 Long Range Dual Motor has one electric motor at each axle producing a combined 360kW and 840Nm fed by a 111kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
Polestar claims the 2.6-tonne Polestar 3 can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 5.0 seconds and reach a top speed of 210km/h.
Driving range is a claimed 610km with an average energy consumption of 20.1-21.1kWh per 100km.
An optional Performance Pack that costs E6600 (A$10,230) increases the motors’ combined outputs to 380kW and 910Nm, dropping the 0-100km/h time to 4.7sec and the driving range to 560km. It also brings 22-inch forged alloy wheels, performance enhancements to the air-suspension, and gold detailing.
Australia equipment levels are expected to mimic Europe which has LED lighting inside and out, retractable door handles with proximity sensors, 21-inch alloy wheels, active headlights and wipers, hands-free electric tailgate and a panoramic glass sunroof.
Inside, the Polestar 3 has triple-zone climate control, electrically-adjustable and heated front seats, a 14.5-inch multimedia touchscreen with full smartphone integration, a 9.0-inch digital driver display, four USB ports, inductive phone charging (15W), digital radio, three-years complimentary internet connectivity (via eSim), a 360-degree surround-view system and front and rear parking assist.
The Polestar 3 is equipped with nine airbags, including a driver’s knee airbag and dual inner-side airbags.
Polestar also claims the Polestar 3 will have next-generation advanced active and passive safety technology, including interior radar sensors that “can detect sub-millimetre movements in the interior of the car, to help protect against accidentally leaving children or pets inside. The system is also linked to the climate control system to avoid heat stroke or hypothermia”.
Standard active safety features include collision avoidance and mitigation with braking and steering support that is also cyclist and pedestrian aware, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic active assist, rear collision mitigation, full lane keeping capabilities, road-sign awareness and an individual tyre pressure monitoring system.
The Polestar 3 has map-adapted active cruise control that will be upgraded sometime in 2023 with advanced LiDAR capabilities said to provide “accurate real-time data about the car’s surroundings especially in the long-range field. This enables enhanced 3D scanning of the car’s surroundings in greater detail and helps prepare the car for autonomous driving”.
In Europe, the optional Plus Pack and Pilot Pack will be fitted as standard for the first year. These include a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system, soft-closing doors, head-up display, and Pilot Assist active safety.
In terms of cargo capacity, the 484L boot is complemented by a small 32L front trunk. The boot expands to 1411L by folding the rear seats (60/40). There is no spare tyre in the Polestar 3.
Polestar says the 3 can tow a trailer up to 2200kg.
Air suspension is standard, and has custom settings that allow the driver to prioritise comfort or dynamics. Polestar says the system can actively adjust damper velocity every two milliseconds.
An electric torque vectoring, dual-clutch system on the rear axle can apportion torque between the rear wheels to improve handling. The Polestar 3 can also decouple the rear motor all together, allowing it to run as a front-drive vehicle only and reduce energy consumption.
The Polestar 3 has an adjustable one-pedal driving mode which means drivers do not need to use the brake to bring the vehicle to as stop.
The Polestar 3’s 111kW battery has a usable charge of 107kW and can be recharged at up to 250kW, taking it from 10 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes. On an 11kW charger, the system fully recharges from flat in 11 hours.
The battery pack comes with a heat pump that utilises ambient heat for climate- and battery preconditioning, which improves charging efficiency. The car is also equipped with bidirectional charging capabilities to enable vehicle-to-grid and plug-and-charge functions in future.
Polestar makes much of the 3’s sustainability credentials – animal welfare-certified leather, fully traceable wool upholsteries and bio-attributed MicroTech are used extensively inside the vehicle – and has committed to monitoring Polestar 3 production throughout the vehicle’s lifecycle to reduce its carbon footprint.
Polestar has a stated claim to produce a “truly carbon neutral car by 2030”. This includes its supplier chain and shipping partners.
The Polestar 3 will be the first car from Polestar equipped with an Nvidia Drive software platform that Polestar claims takes driver assistance safety features and driver monitoring to the next level.
The Polestar 3 is equipped with a new-generation infotainment system: a 14.5-inch central touchscreen powered by a Snapdragon processor running Android’s Automotive operating system that will receive Over The Air (OTA) updates to improve the software and add new features as they become available.
“The Snapdragon Cockpit Platform will be utilised to provide immersive in-vehicle experiences with its high-performance capabilities to deliver high-definition displays, premium quality surround sound and seamless connectivity throughout the vehicle.”
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