Electric vehicle maker Polestar said Tuesday that it is expanding its lineup to include an 884-horsepower hard-top convertible with recycled polyester upholstery.
The Polestar 6 electric performance roadster will go into production in 2026 based on the Polestar O₂ Concept the company revealed in March. Customers can now begin reserving build slots online.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath called the forthcoming roadster “a perfect combination of powerful electric performance and the thrill of fresh air with the top down.”
The company hasn’t announced details such as price, acceleration or battery range. However, Polestar confirmed that the hard-top convertible will use the same bonded aluminum platform and 800-volt architecture that will underpin its future Polestar 5 GT.
The dual-motor powertrain delivers a top speed of 155 mph and 0-to-62 mph acceleration in 3.2 seconds, according to Polestar.
Polestar will make 500 limited-edition models, the Polestar 6 LA Concept edition, named after the city where the electric roadster concept made its debut. Those models will come with the concept’s Sky blue exterior, leather interior and 21-inch wheels.
Polestar, which made its Nasdaq debut in June, has outlined aggressive growth plans. The company spun out from Volvo and Geely to merge with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Gores Guggenheim at a $20 billion valuation.
The automaker raised $890 million in the deal to help fund a three-year growth plan, which includes scaling its global operations, adding a second shift at its factory in China and starting production of the Polestar 3 SUV in October at Volvo’s factory in South Carolina.
Polestar also plans to introduce a Polestar 4 midsize crossover in 2023 and Polestar 5 four-door GT in 2024.
So far, Polestar has avoided the pitfalls facing most other EV manufacturers that have opted to go public through a SPAC instead of an IPO in the past two years.
Can Polestar succeed where other EV maker SPACs have failed?
Faraday Future, Electric Last Mile Solutions, Lordstown Motors and others have struggled to raise enough money to build their own EVs from scratch. Polestar benefits from access to Volvo and Geely’s manufacturing expertise, facilities and connections, as well as a $3 billion deal to supply Hertz with 65,000 EVs over the next five years.
In July, Polestar said it is on track to sell 50,000 cars this year. Currently, the Polestar 2 battery-electric sedan is the only model the automaker sells, following the discontinued, 600-horsepower Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid. The company’s ambitious plans call for expanding to 30 countries by the end of 2023 and selling 290,000 cars annually by 2025 — about 10 times Polestar’s 2021 sales.
Comment