Polestar's first SUV poised to shake up key segment

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Polestar is poised to shake up Europe's key premium large SUV segment amid strong demand for full-electric cars.

When it arrives next year, the battery-electric Polestar 3, the Volvo Cars subsidiary's first SUV, which made its global debut here Wednesday, will join models such as the segment-leading BMW X5 and the German automaker's new full-electric entrant, the iX, which is already Europe's No. 4-selling model in the class (see table at bottom of story).

There has also been strong uptake for battery-driven models in Europe's premium midsize SUV segment, where the Tesla Model Y leads the Mercedes-Benz GLC; the luxury sedan niche, where the Porsche Taycan has a big advantage over the Mercedes S-Class; and the midsize premium segment where the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2 rank No. 3 and No. 6, respectively. Demand for Polestar's only other model is up nearly 60 percent this year, according to market researcher Dataforce.

Through eight months European sales of electric cars were up 28 percent to nearly 840,000, Dataforce figures show.

Polestar aims to sell 67,000 Polestar 3s globally by 2024, according to the packet it put together for Wall Street ahead of its listing on the Nasdaq in June.

The projected breakdown is 42 percent for Europe Middle East and Africa, 33 percent for North America and 25 percent Asia/Pacific including China, company officials said on the sidelines of the SUV's reveal.

Estimating that Europe will account for the majority of the EMEA share, perhaps as high as 40 percent, that would be a volume of 26,800. That would likely earn the Polestar 3 a place in the segment's top five based on the most recent full-year numbers from Dataforce.

However, Dataforce Senior Automotive Analyst Benjamin Kibies is skeptical.

"The Polestar 3 is launching in a completely different environment," he said. "The BMW iX and Mercedes EQE are already there, and there will be lots of new arrival competing for customers' attention, including the Volvo EX90 and Maserati Grecale.

Based on those factors he thinks 26,800 "might be too ambitious."

"I expect Polestar to position the model more upmarket instead of maxing out its sales volume," he added.

SUV for EV age

Polestar said Wednesday that its goal was to help define the SUV for the electric age by combining Scandinavian minimalism and design purity with the key ingredients expected of a vehicle in the segment. That includes a powerful, wide stance, but in package the emphasizes aerodynamics.

The Polestar 3 has a front aero wing integrated into the hood, a second aero wing integrated into the rear spoiler, and rear aero blades.

“This is the first car which has been designed as a Polestar from the start. As such it features new defining characteristics for us like the dual blade headlights, SmartZone and front aero wing,” Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said in a release.

SmartZone

The Polestar 3's SmartZone is up front, replacing the grille with radars and cameras through which the car can "see" what's ahead of it. The SmartZone is also a signature of Polestar's design, the automaker said.

The Polestar 3 is the brand's first model to feature centralized computing using Nvidia's high-performance automotive platform, Drive, to run software from Volvo. The computer processes data from the car’s multiple sensors and cameras to enable advanced driver-assistance and driver monitoring solutions.

That includes two closed-loop cameras that track the driver’s eyes and can trigger warning messages, sounds and even an emergency stop function when the person behind the wheel appears distracted or drowsy.

Altogether, the Polestar 3 will come standard with five radar modules, five external cameras and 12 external ultrasonic sensors.

Powertrain & battery

The Polestar 3 will debut with a dual-motor configuration with a rear-wheel-drive setup that will provide total power of 360 kilowatts (483 hp) and 840 newton meters (620 pounds-feet) of torque, resulting in 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) time of 5 seconds.

By adding the optional Performance Pack, total output rises to 380 kW (510 hp) and 910 newton meters (671 pounds-feet), reducing the 0 to 100 kph time to 4.7 seconds.

In addition, the SUV adds an electric torque vectoring dual-clutch function on the rear axle. A decoupling function is also available for the rear electric motor, allowing the car to run only on the front electric motor to save energy under certain circumstances.

The Polestar 3's 111-kilowatt-hour battery pack provides up to 610 km (about 380 miles) of range under WLTP guidelines. By comparison, the long-range version of the Polestar 2 provides 487 km.

The lithium-ion battery, which is manufactured by China's CATL, features a prismatic cell design housed in a protective aluminum case with boron steel reinforcement and liquid cooling.

A mechanical heat pump is included as standard, helping the SUV utilize ambient heat for cabin climate and battery preconditioning, which helps extended overall range in averse weather conditions, the automaker said.

Charging

The Polestar 3 will have a DC charging capacity of up to 250 kW, which will allow the SUV to go from 10 percent to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes. It's AC charging capacity is up to 11 kW and to replentish from 0 to 100 percent take 11 hours.

Like its platform mate, the Volvo EX90, the Polestar 3 will be hardware-ready to offer bi-directional charging. Therefore, both SUVs will allow customers to charge their cars at home when demand from the grid and prices are low. It will also be possible to share stored energy in both EVs' batteries with household appliances as well as other electrified vehicles.

The SUVs will also have an interior radar system designed to ensure that no one is unknowingly left behind in the car, with the aim of preventing injuries or deaths. The system uses sensors integrated in the overhead console, roof-mounted reading lamps and the trunk that can detect sub-millimeter movement such as the breathing patterns of a child. The system is linked to the climate control system to avoid heat stroke or hypothermia.

Polestar continues its relationship with Google, which started when the brand's first mass-market car arrived in 2020. At the time the Polestar 2 midsize fastback was the first to make Android Automotive its native in-car operating system. The Polestar 3 gets the latest version of Android Automotive as well as a 14.5-inch center display.

Polestar said the SUV's materials were picked based on their sustainability credentials. That includes animal welfare-certified leather.

Multi-site production

Production of the Polestar 3, which is underpinned by the electric-only evolution of Volvo's scalable platform architecture, SPA2, will be the done at two of its parent's plants. Output of the SUV will incrementally ramp up at Volvo's factory in Chengdu, China, starting in mid-2023. Deliveries of those models are expected to start in the last quarter of next year.

U.S. production of the Polestar 3 at Volvo's factory in Ridgeville, South Carolina, is expected to begin in mid-2024, with deliveries to start at roughly the same time. By building in the U.S., Polestar will avoid tariffs that its China-built models face when entering the country.