Polestar's Electrifying O2 Concept Is Becoming the Very Real Polestar 6 EV Roadster
Public reaction to the O2 concept was so strong, Polestar decided to make it happen.
Polestar is getting its sexy on—well, given how hot the two-door Polestar 1 (its first car) was, maybe we should say Polestar is getting its groove back. As the electric performance car company continues to grow with its 2, upcoming 5, and other mainstream models, news that it will build the Polestar 6, an 844-hp dual-motor roadster based on the Polestar O2 Concept shown earlier this year, is a welcome surprise.
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The Polestar 6 will lead off with a limited run of 500 L.A. Concept editions, each numbered, and each will come with an exclusive sky blue exterior, light leather interior, and the 21-inch wheels, just like the O2 concept. Online reservations open today. But then you must wait: the production car doesn't hit the market until 2026.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath says the decision to build the 2+2 roadster grew out of the enthusiastic response to the O2 (for oxygen) concept that was shown in Los Angeles in March. It will be Polestar's first convertible, and the rare electric convertible available from anyone.
The Polestar 6 hardtop convertible also draws from the Precept concept, which showcases the automaker's brand vision for future sports cars. The roadster will use the dedicated Polestar platform that was developed in-house for low-volume models, starting with thePolestar 5 flagship GT, and uses a bonded aluminum spaceframe. The Precept is not just design direction, it is also a rolling preview of future tech for semi-autonomous driving as well as sustainability.
It shares the 800-volt electric architecture that will be used in forthcoming Polestar models, starting with the Polestar 3. Output from its dual electric motors is up to 884 horsepower and 663 lb-ft of torque, and Polestar has targeted a 0-62 mph sprint time of 3.2 seconds for the 6. Top speed is 155 mph.
Pole Positions for Future Cars
Polestar started life withthe Polestar 1 hybrid coupe which ran its three-year course and stopped production. The first all-electric vehicle was the Polestar 2 sedan.
The automaker is preparing to launch the 2023 Polestar 3 EV, a midsize SUV that will be built at the Volvo plant in Charleston, South Carolina, for sale in early 2023 to take on the Porsche Cayenne. Polestar's first SUV will share the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA2) and an assembly line with thenext-generation electric Volvo XC90. The production model will be revealed in October. A smaller Polestar 4 compact SUV should hit U.S. showrooms in 2024 to compete with the Porsche Macan.
Closest to the Precept concept is thePolestar 5 four-door GT that will competewith the Porsche Panamera. The low-volume car will be built in a new greenfield plant in Chongqing, China, starting in 2024. Headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, Polestar is owned by Volvo Cars and Geely Holdings of China. The automaker went public this year to raise capital for its growth plans.
Alisa Priddle joined MotorTrend in 2016 as the Detroit Editor. A Canadian, she received her Bachelor of Journalism degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, and has been a reporter for 40 years, most of it covering the auto industry because there is no more fascinating arena to cover. It has it all: the vehicles, the people, the plants, the competition, the drama. Alisa has had a wonderfully varied work history as a reporter for four daily newspapers including the Detroit Free Press where she was auto editor, and the Detroit News where she covered the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies, as well as auto trade publication Wards, and two enthusiast magazines: Car & Driver and now MotorTrend. At MotorTrend Alisa is a judge for the MotorTrend Car, Truck, SUV and Person of the Year. She loves seeing a new model for the first time, driving it for the first time, and grilling executives for the stories behind them. In her spare time, she loves to swim, boat, sauna, and then jump into a cold lake or pile of snow.
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