Words NZ Autocar | Images Auto Express
Published 12 December 2024
Polestar 5, a four-door GT to rival Taycan, is coming in 2025.
First seen in near-production form at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, a full exterior design unveiling has now taken place.
The Polestar 5 will be the firm’s flagship model, a luxury four-door electric coupé to rival the Taycan, Tesla Model S and Lotus Emeya. It sits above the SUV 3 and 4 models. At some point it will be joined by Polestar 6, a two-door roadster/coupé based on the same lightweight bonded aluminium chassis.
Currently it is undergoing the final stages of development in Sweden, finalising towing capacity and assessing cold-weather efficiency.
It was meant to launch this year but software issues also affecting Polestar 3 delayed proceedings. To behold it is a sleek four-door GT with typical ‘Thor’s hammer’ headlight design split into two elements.
Front wheel arches flare outwards and the front air intake gets a dark surround that flows right around the perimeter of the car. A slim glasshouse imparts a sporty effect, as does a long, low look.
Typical Polestar features include an expansive glass roof and a distinctive table-shaped light bar at the rear.
Like the Polestar 4, there’s no rear window. Side mirrors and a rear facing camera show what’s behind. The idea is that a low but elongated roofline impinges less on rear passenger headroom.
Polestar 5 interior a bit of a mystery
Polestar hasn’t yet revealed the interior in final production form but evidently there’s a large central touchscreen and a flat-bottomed wheel design.
In the rear are generous levels of stretch space and an airy feel thanks to the full length glass roof. A 3.1m wheelbase helps. Overall length is 4.7m.
Interior trim uses recycled and plant-sourced materials. Expect ambient lighting that shines through trim pieces and Polestar’s Google-based infotainment.
Twin motors producing 652kW and 900Nm power Polestar 5. The engineers expect a sprint time of 3.2sec, and the top speed target is 250km/h. A single-motor variant of the 5 is also likely.
The all-paw vehicle should drive well, sporting “light-weight, high-rigidity sports car chassis technology.” The bonded aluminium platform will also underpin the Polestar 6 sports car. And Polestar is working on a flax-based composite as part of the firm’s aim to create a carbon-neutral car by 2030.
As to the battery, likely a 110kWh jobbie, the Polestar 5 is likely to have no more than 500km of range as Polestar but fast recharging is a priority. Polestar is working with StoreDot on its ‘extreme fast charging’ battery technology (XFC). The 800v architecture can add 160km of range in five minutes using a 350kW charger.
Polestar 5 will be built in China alongside Polestar 6. The batteries come from South Korea’s SK On.
