Polestar is nothing if not ambitious when it comes to growth. From 29,000 sales in 2021, it wants to grow that figure 10-fold, to 290,000 - by 2025. Which really isn't far off. It aims to do that in the same way every manufacturer striving for volume currently must: building electric SUVs. Next year we'll see the Polestar 3, followed by the 4 in 2024, and New European subscribers will rejoice. But neither is likely to tickle the PH pickle much - the Polestar 5, however, set to follow 3 and 4 (in case you hadn't guessed) in 2025, looks much more up our street. A four-door, four-seat GT in the Porsche Taycan mould, the 5 will be the production reality of that stunning Precept concept seen a couple of years ago.
Polestar isn't employing any half measures for its new flagship, either. At its new UK R&D centre at MIRA (part of a European expansion that will see another UK office coming soon), the 5's all-new bonded aluminium architecture was revealed to the press last week. Neither an evolution of an existing platform nor one shared elsewhere within the Geely group, the new architecture points to Polestar's standing as an independent entity and not an engineering add-on.
Pete Allen, Polestar UK's Head of Research and Development, was on hand to talk around the platform at MIRA. The logic behind bonded aluminium is clear: it provides torsional rigidity beyond what's offered with spot welding steel, yet without the prohibitive cost of a carbon tub for a vehicle this vast. "We knew we wanted this car to be lightweight, we knew we wanted high quality and we knew we wanted it quickly", he added.
The advantages of bonded aluminium extend into the EV era as well. Polestar reckons the production body-in-white of the 5 should weigh less than 'cars in smaller segments' - and all other things being equal, a lighter car is going to be a more efficient one. Moreover, if the 5 can make better use of its electricity, it can go further without needing a massive battery, which again reduces weight. Going further means less time plugged in, too, which minimises the potential for a public charger catastrophe - all very beneficial.
There's more good news, too, as the aluminium architecture is a fundamental to another Polestar objective: making its new model the best in class to drive. Which is no easy task given the benchmark laid down by the Taycan, a car with a monumental headstart and three years to improve. Still, it's a worthy ambition. "We're not here to be second in terms of dynamics", said Allen. Even the early prototypes are low and wide, with bespoke suspension and, according to Polestar, supercar-rivalling torsional rigidity. The firm is also rapidly expanding its staff to aid its ambitious product plan, with another 500 engineers set to join the UK R&D team in a matter of months.
Polestar's insistent rise from interesting niche-filler to bonafide premium EV maker might be built on more mainstream products than its four-door GT, but the brand is savvy enough to know that it is the most interesting part of its upcoming plans. Even as a mule there are numerous details that link it back to the Precept, with big wheels, a low scuttle and a rear that seems inspired just a little by the Polestar 1. Despite cladding and disguise, it has considerable presence, just as big, fast, low-to-the-ground four-doors tend to. If the 5 lives up to its headline billing, and the time and energy invested in making it good to drive, it ought to be a sleek grand tourer worth getting excited about - and in an age of autonomous mobility and gargoyleish SUVs, probably something to cling on to as well.
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