Skip to content

Polestar shows off its electric SUV; US production to start in 2023

    This is our first look at an undisguised Polestar 3 SUV.
    enlarge This is our first look at an undisguised Polestar 3 SUV.

    Polestar has released the first image of its next production electric car. It’s called the Polestar 3 and it’s the brand’s first offering in the highly competitive SUV market.

    “Polestar 3 is the SUV for the electric age. Our design identity evolves with this high-end large luxury EV, with a strong, individual brand character. With this car, we bring the ‘sport’ back to the SUV, staying true to our performance roots,” said Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar. “This is an important milestone for our company, one that will boost our growth trajectory and take us to our next phase.”

    The Polestar 3 is the first EV in that next phase and will be followed in 2023 by the Polestar 4 (a smaller SUV coupe) and the flagship Polestar 5 in 2024.

    We can expect more technical specs from the Polestar 3 when it officially goes on sale in October. For now, Polestar says it expects a battery with enough capacity for a WLTP range of 600 km (372 miles), which should be enough for an EPA range of more than 300 miles. We also know that it will be a twin-motor drivetrain and probably one with a lot of acceleration. And in January, Ars Review Editor Ron Amadeo took an early look at the Polestar 3’s Android Automotive interface.

    The company says it will eventually offer autonomous driving too, using the built-in Luminar lidar sensor and Nvidia GPUs to help determine its place in the world.

    Although Polestar will begin accepting orders in October, production of the SUV EV will not begin until early 2023. As part of Polestar’s plans to increase production volume, that will mean Polestar 3s will be built in Ridgeville, South Carolina, as well as the factory in Luqiao, China.