Polestar hints at future with Formula 2030 concept
Want an idea of what the next Polestar 2 might be like? You're looking right at it
More even than the start, the rest of this decade is a critical period for Polestar. The best seller in the range, the 2, is being replaced, with competition from all comers - the i3 and C-Class Electric chief among them. As the 5 goes on sale, we’ll see if customers are willing to pay more than £100,000 for a Polestar. And soon the 7 will be here, another key model as it attempts to stake a claim in the EV SUV space. Given the current financial situation, emphatic success for Polestar is really the only way forward.
The Formula 2030 Concept is our first full look at what the future of Polestar holds. It’s described as ‘the physical manifestation of the brand’s wider Formula 2030 strategy’, one that ‘brings the strategic direction to vehicular life.’ And if elements look familiar - the signature Dual Blade headlights, most notably - then that’s entirely deliberate, as Formula 2030 is ‘inspired by cars that came before it and shaping those that will come next.’ Given all the Polestars thus far, from 1 through 5 (and even the short-lived 6 concept) have looked tremendous, you don’t want the designer baby out with the bathwater when planning for the future. Change is good; transformation from what was working not so much.
So it’s Polestar then, but a lower, leaner, meaner kind of Polestar, hunkered down to the ground with its short overhangs, coke bottle hips and superb 22-inch wheels. It’s a hard thing to categorise just by looking, the Formula 2030, blending elements of coupe, hot hatch and SUV. At 4,680mm long, 2,021mm wide and 1,350mm high, it’s said to be between a 2 and a 7 in terms of size. Perhaps the most significant design change from what’s come before is the back end - or the ‘UFO-esque rear’, to give the rump its proper name, which actually gets rid of the light bar that’s become so familiar in place of Single Blade rear lights. These aren’t illuminated by fairy dust or suchlike, either - these have been introduced on the Formula 2030 ‘ahead of serious production.’ Good job they look so smart then.
Additional new touches behind include a wraparound rear screen, a chunky C-pillar that leads into those beefy arches and a rear diffuser to further enhance the sporting intent. Perhaps we won’t see a 2+2-style sort of shooting brake from Polestar anytime soon, but details of the Formula 2030 are certainly coming. And that looks like very good news indeed. Even if the current crop of EVs looked decent, this would stand out; given many don’t, it’s borderline brilliant.
The interior, too, will influence the next generation of Polestar street machines. Maybe don’t pay too much attention to the topless steering wheel and a wiper like a Group C car, but a large horizontal display for the driver, actual switches on the console and a prominent central tunnel seem likely to feature. The screen in front of the wheel is a 20-inch HyperDIM, or Driver Information Monitor, actually mounted to the column to ensure optimum focus. The Centre Screen Display is just 12.2 inches, because the point inside Formula 2030 is to ‘emphasise the importance of the driver’s primary position in the vehicle.’ Note there isn’t a passenger display here, for example, just as they seem to have become as important to cars as wheels. Don’t expect one to come in future Polestars.
Here’s a nice sentence to read: ‘Polestar is committing to rebalance the mix of physical and digital with a mechatronics solution for its controls, thanks to a panel of physical controls positioned below the CSD.’ Those eight controls do look likely to feature in future products, providing access to key controls and shortcuts. The phrase “tactile harmony” is used by the interior design boss Juan Pablo Bernal, the idea to make a car that’s simple to operate and not distracting while also being, y’know, nice. Revolutionary - it might catch on…
Expect the latest in sustainable materials to be inside the next 2 also. For the Formula 2030, there are seat backs built from ‘a bio-based composite’, a body structure of Bcomp’s natural fibre composite, visible low emissions galvanised steel and fully recyclable doors. All interesting stuff that sounds viable for an end-of-the-decade production car.
While no powertrain details have been released for the 2030, there are race-inspired Ohlins dampers (wouldn’t be a Polestar without those), Brembo brakes with Swedish Gold calipers (ditto), plus three drive modes: Normal, Performance and Autonomous. They’re chosen through a selector on the centre console, and surely seem likely to feature in the future. Especially given the 2030 is loaded to the gunwales with assisted driving tech (the LiDAR is hidden, thank goodness). In the Performance setting, the wheel and HyperDIM move closer to the driver’s chest, ‘optimising the cabin for enthusiastic driving.’ Once more, that feels like a shoo-in gimmick for production.
Philipp Römers, Polestar’s Head of Design, said: “Design should always reflect the values and mission of a brand and that is exactly what we did with Polestar Formula 2030 concept. It is a physical embodiment of how we apply Polestar‘s core values of design, performance and sustainability to the next production cars. A bold evolution of our already well-established design DNA to strengthen the brand‘s positioning with performance at its heart.” From here, it looks clever, recognisable enough from the established Polestars while also hinting at an even bolder future. And with the buttons. Expect to see the influence of the Formula 2030 sooner rather than later as well: the next 2 is due in 2027, then the 7 the year after that…
Nice cars, not the healthiest business.
I assumed they were quite healthy, you see quite a few around.
However they are owned by Geely who aren't short of a few tens of billions
Nice cars, not the healthiest business.
I assumed they were quite healthy, you see quite a few around.
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