- The Polestar 2 is set to become the first Polestar to get a second generation model.
- It seems likely to remain called the Polestar 2, despite rumours it could wear the Polestar 8 name.
- The Polestar 2 is the company's best selling model.
Don’t believe the rumours! The Polestar 2 will live on and is confirmed to get a second generation.
The boxy electric sedan is Polestar’s best-selling model and went on sale in 2020 globally before landing in New Zealand in late 2021.
In recent times there’s been speculation about the future of the Tesla Model 3 rival, with some suggesting that it would not live on to see another generation, and others saying it would be replaced but it would adopt the Polestar 8 moniker.
Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller clarified the future of the model in an interview with Australasian journalists at the IAA Mobility show in Munich.
“Yes, new generation, yeah. And that's important, because we have set it up so successfully, right? It has… 180,000 customers at the moment, right? And there will be a Polestar 2 successor for sure, for sure.”
Lohscheller also confirmed that the car that will replace the Polestar 2 will indeed be called the Polestar 2. He said if the vehicle was going to change in concept then it would make more sense to adopt a new moniker.
“If it was a new car, then we could argue, is that a Polestar 8, but that's not the case, right? And that maybe indicates that we obviously want to keep the Polestar 2 customers, right?”
When asked by CarsGuide if the next-gen Polestar 2 would retain its sedan-like liftback body style, Lohscheller would neither confirm nor deny it.
“We leave that open. But there are arguments for it. Because obviously, I mean, we call it now, really a fastback,” he said.
“I want to have those current Polestar 2 customers back. I think we did a great job. And I want to keep them in the family.”
Polestar head of design Philipp Römers was also non-committal about whether it would retain its sedan shape.
“Let's see. We have some ideas of course, also there. I mean, we always have to do something special and evolve it further, you know. And again, the car was born as a Volvo. So we have to evolve it and separate it more from the Volvo,” he told journalists.
“It has to look as like a true Polestar, you know. Be surprised, we have some good ideas, you know?”
He said the freshly revealed Polestar 5 could also provide some inspiration for the next-gen 2’s design.
“Polestar 5 is such a brand ambassador. And of course, there is a big pool of inspiration also for these kinds of cars.”
Römers said there were a number of aspects of the current model he wants to capture for the new version.
“That it has character, that it is good looking, that it's timeless. Also that it feels like you want to drive it, you know? And these are the elements which we definitely would keep.”
In terms of timing, Polestar is yet to confirm when the next Polestar 2 will be revealed. The current focus for the brand is on the coming Polestar 7 compact SUV which is set for release in early 2028 so the 2 should surface after that.
In the meantime, expect more significant updates to the car in the last part of its life cycle.
- Tim Nicholson, managing editor.