While most manufacturers put a brake on production as the coronavirus swept across the world, Polestar – the maker of electrified cars that is part of the Volvo Group and Zhejiang Geely Holdings – announced in March that production of the Polestar 2 had officially begun in Luqiao, China. For initial delivery into Europe, followed by China and North America, the new performance fastback is the first electric vehicle to be produced by the facility.

The fully electric performance fastback is available for the first year of production with 300kW (408 hp) and 660Nm, all-wheel drive and a 78kWh battery pack which, Polestar claims, enables a range of 470km (WLTP). Polestar 2 also features a built-in infotainment system powered by Android, featuring Google Maps, Google Assistant and the Google Play Store.

“The world is facing enormous upheaval in the face of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO. “We start production now under these challenging circumstances, with a strong focus on the health and safety of our people. This is a great achievement and the result of huge efforts from the staff in the factory and the team securing the supply chain. I have a huge amount of respect for the entire team – thanks to them!”

Revealed in February 2019, Polestar 2 is available in ten global markets in Europe, China and North America. Initially available to reserve with a refundable deposit, final order books in each launch market are now being opened. The Polestar will reportedly be available in Australia late in the year.

Source: Motor Trader E-magazine (June 2020)

26 May 2020