The Swedish manufacturer says (2+3)/2 equals 4, not 2.5, with its latest model.
Polestar, the all-electric Swedish manufacturer positioning itself as a competitor to Tesla, likes to point out that 2024 is the year they go from being a “one-car” manufacturer to a “three-car” manufacturer, a milestone which does tend to lend legitimacy to a carmaker’s ambitions. Consider the explosion in relevance when Tesla expanded their model range to include the Models X, 3, and Y in addition to the S.
2023, though, was a challenging year for Polestar. The company missed global sales targets and suffered a major decline in US sales compared to 2022, relying entirely on the chunky Polestar 2 sort-of-sedan that has not benefited from price cuts like other EVs saw in the past year.
Like so many other manufacturers, Polestar has added a leaner, less expensive, compact SUV to its range with the 4 after the earlier release of the full-fat Polestar 3.
Yes, despite having the simplest and least inspiring naming conventions of any car company, Polestar has still managed to make it confusing. The new 4, in every respect, sits between the 2 and the 3. Where prices for the 2 start at just under $50,000 and prices for the 3 begin at $73,400, Polestar 4 prices range from $54,900 to $72,900. And where the 3 is a fairly traditional SUV in silhouette, the 4 (not unlike the Tesla Model Y) is an “SUV coupe” rather than a more familiar mid-size SUV. That sort of description used to be applied to cars like the BMW X6, but the Polestar 4 stretches the definition even further. It just looks like a slightly larger Polestar 2 wearing lifts. They’re hardly the only manufacturer stretching the limits of SUVhood to appeal to the almost-irrational craze for these types of cars: see the Model Y, the Ford Mustang Mach E, the Alfa Romeo Tonale, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, and so on.
The 4 will be offered in single- and dual-motor configurations and Polestar makes a point of emphasizing the latter’s 544 horsepower and 3.7-second 0-60 time, perhaps as a way of capitalizing on the attention-grabbing figures that Tesla’s various offerings put out. The performance of the dual-motor comes with a 30 mile reduction in estimated range to 270, a more-or-less par for the course figure in the EV market.
Further features again feel like they’ve been inspired by Tesla’s success, including a large, gaudy, Android-powered infotainment system, retractable door handles, and Pilot Assist, a less ambitious (and therefore perhaps more confidence-inspiring) version of Tesla’s Autopilot. Aside from a general desire to be a more refined, adult version of Tesla, Polestar’s attempts at differentiation sometimes seem unprompted. In what appears to be an automotive first, gimicks on the 4 include the lack of a rear window, which has been replaced by a roof-mounted camera that Polestar say will provide a “wider field of view” than in other cars.
The Polestar 4 goes on sale at the end of April and deliveries are said to begin in in the final quarter of this year.
Commentary
Take your pick of any of the recent glut of SUVish cars. Whether it be this new Polestar, the Alfa Tonale, Hyundai Ioniq, Mustang Mach E, whatever. Is your pick really a better car as a sort-of-SUV than it would be if it were a sedan or a hatchback, or even just a more traditional off-road capable big car? The answer is almost invariably no; these cars are the way they are solely because car companies know that’s what will sell. People – Americans in particular – are obsessed with anything called an SUV, irrespective of whether that moniker is accurately applied to the car in question. Off-road capability and actual practicality be damned, Americans just want to sit six inches higher in the car than they did in their sedans from the 00s.
In fairness, Polestar doesn’t deserve to bear the full weight of SUV culture criticism. But as a forward-thinking EV manufacturer, you would have hoped they would not just react to the market but try to push it in a more logical direction. The same can be said of Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, and all the other EV “pioneers”. But even beyond my frustrations with the tastes of the average carbuyer, I fail to see how the Polestar 4 will adequately differentiate itself from its competitors even compared solely with similar EVs unless its level of refinement really does shine in comparison to say, that of the Tesla Model Y. It would certainly have to, given the premium a Polestar customer will pay. And that’s before we get into gas-powered alternatives in the same price bracket. Removing the rear window is hardly a selling point for most people, particularly those anti-tech bro Volvo customers that are most likely to give Polestar a chance.
We like the concept of Polestar at Turf and Tarmac and want to see this company do well, but they seem to be trying to play catchup with Tesla instead of forging their own way ahead. Their trajectory is pretty much the same: start with a low-volume sports car (Polestar 1 and Roadster), then a sedan which sells reasonably well and establishes the company name (Polestar 2 and Model S), then a big SUV (Polestar 3 and Model X) that hopefully pushes boundaries, and then a mid-size SUVish offering, the Polestar 4/Model Y. In fairness, two of Polestar’s future models do look of interest: the Precept concept is sort of an Audi A7-esque fastback sedan and the Polestar 6 is a good-looking drop-top sports car.
The Polestar 4 will have to be a truly great car in its own right, EV or not, in order to stand out from the pack and arrest the company’s US sales slide. The same can be said for its big brother the Polestar 3, but the larger car benefits from a more appealing price in relation to its primary competitors. The timing for Polestar couldn’t be worse, either, as interest in EVs cools following a hot streak. 2024 may be a sink-or-swim moment for the company, and the success of the Polestar 4 will be a decisive factor.