“Latest Developments In The Polerstar.”

10/04/2022 Drive Pilots

It remains to be seen how Irish buyers will take to the Sino-Swedish brand, but its first all-electric model is the Belter.

Here’s What Industry Insiders Say About The Polerstar.

The Long Range single motor version of the Polestar 2 lacks the acceleration stats of its twin-motor siblings, but is much better in the range. As a Volvo spin-off, the new brand also has excellent safety.

Video: Neil Briscoe

Starting a new brand is never easy, but then again, Polestar is not actually a brand new one. In fact, its origins can be traced back to 1996, when it was originally formed as a Swedish racing team called Flash Engineering. Polestar was rebranded in 2005, and by the end of the decade, the company had begun tuning parts for road-going Volvos. Eventually, Volvo began to draw attention to itself, and Polestar was swallowed up, becoming Volvo’s own internal performance brand, a kind of Scandi AMG.

The brand soon earned a representative for seriously entertaining performance updates. Although never achieved the heyday of AMG or BMW’s M-Sport, the original Polestar C30 is widely regarded as one of the best hot hatches of all time (if not the most expensive). More recently, the Polestar-upgraded version of Volvo’s XC60 plug-in hybrid SUV proved to be the most entertaining of its kind.

Now, however, Polestar has pivoted to batteries. Although it initially launched as its own brand with the Polestar 1 – a stunning Volvo S90-based coupe with a 600hp plug-in hybrid powertrain and carbon-fibre body – the Polestar is now an all-electric brand. Volvo and its Chinese owners, Geely.

Everything You Need To Know About The Polerstar.

It has been on sale in select parts of Europe for two years and has finally arrived in Ireland.

In Irish terms, the epidemic hit – Polestar takes a step further down the road that most car manufacturers and sellers follow after online sales. All sales and orders of Polestar are done through its website and there is currently only one physical “destination”, part of Spirit Motor Group and Sandyford, South Dublin – staff specialists there, but not on commission so they are not under pressure to actually sell you anything.

Polestar’s head of the Irish market, Kieran Campbell, told The Irish Times: “We are definitely considering other places. We need to see where the volume goes in the beginning. We’re talking with Polestar HQ and suggesting that Ireland is a big little country and that there are other areas outside Dublin, but it’s not fully in the pipeline, but it’s fully ready for consideration.

Of course, not a completely new brand, Polestar has the assets it deserves, most notably the dozen Volvo dealers in Ireland who look after the after-sales care and service. Or at least they do when everyone signs up – not everyone, yet.

The shorn and marking marks on the badges block the two colour-key Polestar ‘compass’ logos, and the little stencil on the door, makes the Polestar 2 look thin and muscular.

Polestar, apparently, can share production and design with Volvo, although everyone at Polestar is keen to reiterate that it is its own material, independent brand. The blurring of the lines between the Polestar and Volvo is that its only current model – the Fastback Salon Polestar 2, which is currently on sale in Ireland – is therefore Volvo. In fact, the car’s design began as the Volvo Concept 40.2, which was unveiled again in 2016 and designed by designer Thomas Ingenlath, chief executive of Polestar.

It’s a beautiful thing, though. The shorn and marking marks on the badges restrict the two colour-key Polestar “compass” logos, and the little stencil on the door makes the Polestar 2 look thin and muscular. It’s a little over-the-top, which gives it a crossover’s Frison, but it’s – thankfully – clearly a fastback salon. It is aimed at the throat of the BMW i4 and Tesla Model 3.

It is also very expensive. The original single-motor version, with a 67kWh battery and a 474km range, costs € 54,400 and is well-equipped.

It is significantly cheaper than the basic i4 (€ 63,565) but slightly more expensive than the cheapest Tesla Model 3 (€ 52,995). Tesla has a bit more range (491km) in this format, but BMW has more, more (567km).

This means that the Polestar 2 range sweet spot is probably a single-motor version with a larger 75kWh battery. It has a potential maximum range of 540km and costs € 58,245.

It delivers 60 km and 200-odd-hp to the more expensive Tesla Model 3 Long Range. While the Polestar 2 in this form does not contain Tesla’s squash in your seat guttural, it does have a perfectly adequate performance for everyday driving.

It’s not a muscle-car, but it’s definitely not slow. Arguably more important to daily driving is that it is very effective. The 100km test loop (country roads, town and motorway) is an average of 19kWh / 100km in our hands, and that’s where the air conditioning goes and with a pretty clear attitude to acceleration.

It’s certainly better built than Tesla, and the combination of a tablet-like screen in the middle of the dash and a digital dashboard in front of the driver is more user-friendly.

Its Google-based screen software also looks good and is easier to use than the equivalent system on the recently tested (mechanically-related) Volvo C40. The sound control actually works (most of the time) and the displays and switchgear (especially the skeleton gear selector) look great. The only rejection is the standard seat material, which is hard-wearing but cheap, but you can rest assured that the effect of old-school-trousers is made of recycled PET plastics.

It is in the driving that the Polestar really feels satisfied. No, it’s not as sharp as a BMW, but it has a sweeter balance than the Tesla and has a good steering feel and weight. This is not a car for out-and-out drivers in this specification, but it is satisfying and enjoyable to drive with the ride quality sitting on the right side of the firm.

Polestar 2: better built than Tesla

Pay attention to yourself, you can have Polestar 2 that works well in the Driver Engagement part. For € 61,900 you can have a two-motor, four-wheel drive version with 408hp and 0-100km / h time in 4.7 seconds. Slam the accelerator and this version is brutally fast. True, it gives Tesla Model 3 performance more than a second in the 0-100km / h sprint but is € 7,000 cheaper.

With that € 7,000 you can specify your Polestar with all the major performance packs (actually costing € 6,420) and this is the variant. With a manual-adjustment suspension developed by Swedish specialist Ohlins and the brakes of Italian racing maestros Brembo (the best brakes we’ve found on any EV we’ve driven, no question), the Polestar suddenly begins to feel like a Sino-Swedish Four. -Dore Porsche – Impressive speed, precise and fun in the corners, and usually a little naughty.

The Volvo C40 is a bit spoiled by this powertrain – high power, ample suspension control, and great impact on range. Here in Polestar you go up to 482 km, which is awesome. Plus you can charge up to 155kW from a public DC quick charger.

Okay, so you want the Performance Pack Model, but you buy a long-range, single-motor Polestar 2 that works for what it is, where you can buy it and whether or not it fits into your life.

This is the car’s odd melange – the Volvo bits and pieces, but the performance’s brand mood and dynamics for the most part. It seems to be priced at € 54,400-plus better than its Volvo cousins. It’s an interesting mix of efficiency, safety, practicality (405-litre boot, reasonable rear seat space, accessibility through small doors) and possible reliability (eight-year battery warranty, and you only need to serve it every two years) And with steering.

It’s certainly a tempting mix, as Polestar is working its way into building a completely carbon neutral car – and in the Will Smith sense, calling those Chris Rocks in the other car industry to announce carbon neutrality. But the flawed compensation lurks behind the fig leaf.

Can Polestar Be Successful in Ireland? There may be. The product is better and the new models have more unique, less Volvo-Y styling. Can you really buy one? Yes, Polestar says its launch stock is on the way and will be ready for registration when the number plates are replaced on July 1. After that? Depending on demand and nobody is ready to talk about potential sales figures, they claim that even if you are buying a version that is not currently in stock, you will only face a 14-week delivery time from order. Distribution. It could trigger others who say Polestar competitors will be in mid-2023 before any EV orders are met.

Is it easy to start a new brand?

Sources Polestar